End Of Lore
by Xenolord
Summary: His coming shall be foretold by three signs. The Curse of Flesh. The mortal shell of the Kindre, His servants, shall be ground to water, and Lore shall drown. The Curse of Insanity. One From Two, and Lore shall burn.' From The Coridias de Marte sel Lore.
1. lProloguel Darkest Dark

Disclaimer: I do not own Artix Entertainment. All other characters are property of their respective parties. I will caution you all now. This is VERY DARK, and those who do not like to read descriptions of blood, gore, and varying other scenes of gratuitous violence, DO NOT READ THIS. Now, if I still have your attention...

End of Lore

Prologue

Maria found herself running down a stone-cold corridor, her breath painful and drawn out, her footsteps drowned out by the sloshing of blood being displaced under her. Skin; human skin, had been ground up and smeared on the walls, depicting cryptic messages and insane ramblings. Entrails of both humans and Drakel hung from the ceiling, and dangled from the air vents. She couldn't stop running, she just had to keep going... dead... all of them dead...

Her footsteps stopped, as she looked around the corridor. Whatever was chasing her earlier had either given up, or she'd lost it. Whatever the mitigating circumstances were, the important thing was, that she was safe; for the moment at least. The faces of her friends... the faces of people she never really knew... the face of Wolfblitzer crying out in pain, just before...

She pushed that thought to the back of her mind and ran again, her feet once more bathing in the blood of countless others. How she had escaped the carnage was beyond her knowledge, and quite frankly, she couldn't care less _how_ she had survived, it was just that she did. Something was guiding her movements, carrying her somewhere... weather it was to escape, or death, she couldn't tell, but anywhere was better compared to here.

Again, she stopped to catch her breath. She pressed her hand to a unstained portion of the wall, her other hand on her knee, and began to breathe heavily. She heard something... something breathing behind her. Forgetting that she was tired, she spun around and drew the shattered remains of her sword. But, the thing, whatever it may be, hand turned around with her, and the breathing continued. She could have sworn whatever it was was speaking to her, but it was in a language she didn't know. She just took her chances and ran away, the broken Blade of Awe still in her hand. For the first time in her life... she was scared. She would have liked nothing better then to find a little corner somewhere, curl up and just die. She didn't ask for this... she didn't want this...

Another corner was overcome by the bolting X-Guardian. The moment she rounded the corner, she slipped and fell to the ground. It was gone. Whatever was... speaking to her earlier, had gone. She simply lay on the ground to rest some. Her back was soaked with the blood on the floor, and it was soaking into her skin. She heard a small, almost inaudible noise to her right. Looking over, she saw a small, skeletal hand reach out from the floor, blood unendingly flowing from it's palm. It made a motion to grab her, but she reacted faster, and shot to her feet. Undaunted, the hand disconnected itself from the floor, and began scuttling towards her on the floor. She drew her foot up and brought it hard down on the hand, crunching it under her heavy boot. The hand let out a piercing shrill, which struck Maria to the bone. She took the next door to the left.

After throwing the door open, she slid in and slammed it shut, pulling one of the Drakel computer consoles up to block the door. Across on the other side of the room was a Drakel Guard sitting in a chair watching some of the moniters. She silently approached the Drakel, with a hand out. Just before reaching him, the chair spun around to face her. The Drakel had it's chest ripped open, his entire digestive track had been pulled from his stomach, and spilt over his lap. Maria looked down to see him clutching his own still-beating heart in his hand.

"H-Help me..." It moaned, reaching out to her. It stood from the chair, it's entrails slipping off of it's lap and landing on the floor in a bloody heap. It took two steps towards her, one hand reaching to Maria, the other holding it's heart. The moment it's foot hit the ground the second time, it stood still, began convulsing violently, and then dropped to one knee, as the skin began melting from its body. Before whatever had done that to him, gave the Drakel a humane death, it reached up, grabbed Maria's neck, pulled itself up, and spoke to her.

"E-Escape... you must... escape... The... The... The Devourer... C-C-Co..." It released it's grip and fell to the floor. Liquefying on impact, globs of what was once bone and flesh splattering Maria's face and front. She stood stunned before bolting from the room. Before she even got out, she ran into something. It was a barraced of some kind. She didn't see exactly. But, as she rose from the ground to see what it was, the blood all went to her feet.

It was the torso of a human... The face was too mauled to recognize who it was, but all she cared about was the intestines of it. They were pulled from the bottom of the torso and attached, one by one, to the ceiling. She saw it flinch. It reached one hand, which had previously been attached to the ceiling in a smiliar method that it's intestines were, and moaned loudly. Maria's hands cupped over her ears. The torso grabbed the stunned Guardian by the shoulders, opened it's mouth and motioned to eat her skull. She felt it's teeth touch her head before...


	2. The Day the Sun Died

The Day the Sun Died

One

The calm of a night-filled Battleon was pierced by an ear-splitting screech. The majority of those awoken by it were on the twelfth floor of the Guardian Tower, Female Dormitories. Rayne, Lizzie, Trip and Serras were left, for the most part, undisturbed, however, Natalya heard it and woke violently. She sprung from the bed she shared with Serras with a start. Pulling the covers over her head, she scanned to darkness, listening for the sound again.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered, nudging Serras. Her girlfriend groaned and shifted herself onto her side.

"All I heard is you waking me up. What's wrong?" She muttered. Another scream shattered the silence, waking Serras up fully. "What on Lore?" She asked, getting out with Natalya. They threw the door open and listened. A softer scream pointed them in the right direction. "Maria!" They shouted, running towards the younger Despair sister's room. As usual, the door was locked, but the bolt couldn't survive Natalya's shoulder. Exploding into shrapnel and splinters, the door fell to the ground. Serras and Natalya charged it, fists at the ready. Even in the darkness, they could see that no one, save for Maria, was inside.

"Stay with your sister." Serras placed her hand on Natalya's shoulder. "I'm going to find Warlic." Natalya nodded and ran to Maria's side. She nudged her.

"Maria! Maria! Wake up! What's wrong?!" She shouted, trying to wake her up. After shaking her rather violently, she muttered a quick curse and gave her a quick slap across the face. Her eyes sprang open, her eyes dilated to near night-vision. She laid in bed, frozen in fear, her covers pulled to her chin, sweat pouring down her face, soaking her sheets. She stared at Natalya for some time before saying something.

"B-" She started, shaking uncontrollably. "B-"

"Maria! What is it, Bee what?" Natalya asked, trying to get some coherent answer from her sister.

"Blood!" She shouted, pulling the covers over her head.

-Later That Same Night-

"It's weird, Warlic. She wouldn't stop screaming. When I woke her, she stared at me with these dilated eyes. She had the look of death about her. The only thing she said was 'blood' and then freaked out, pulling her sheets over her head, like a little kid afraid of the dark. Anyone else and I could write this off as a nightmare, but Maria? No, not her. She doesn't get scared. Mad, yes, she gets mad, but not scared. If she's scared, it gives everyone else full right to be scared, too. And quite frankly, I'm scared myself." Natalya explained to Warlic as he looked over Maria. She was trembling under the covers, her eyes bolting from side-to-side, as if she was searching for something; or someone. The Mage tried to look into her eyes, but she wouldn't keep them still for long enough.

"There's honestly nothing I can do. I don't know anything about psychology. That's Orta's field, not mine. Take her to Orta in the morning, but keep an eye on her for now." He sighed, ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "Weird. Really, really weird." He nodded to the two women and left, shaking his head, muttering 'really weird.' Natalya and Serras looked at one another and sighed.

-That Morning-

Natalya had opted to spend the night with Maria; just to be sure she didn't digress into another panicked frenzy. The sun poked through the window, waking Maria up instantly. She scanned the room and stretched. Her eyes falling on her sleeping sister, she blinked twice.

"Natalya, what the hell are you doing?" She asked, poking Natalya awake.

"Huh…" She groaned, pulling her head up, shaking the sleep from her eyes. "Oh, good morning Maria. How are you today?" She asked, standing.

"Uh… a little over par, why? I just woke up; I'm a little tired, but alright."

"No fear in your mind? No… panic?" She continued. Maria walked to her sister and placed her hand on her head.

"You okay, Nat? You're talking foolish-like." Natalya raised an eyebrow and locked her arm into Maria's. "Wow, Natalya. I didn't know you liked me like that. What would Serras say?" Maria joked as her sister pulled her out the door. "And why is my door broken?"

Natalya had drug her sister down the hall, their arms still locked, right into the Infirmary. She flung the door open and tossed Maria in.

"Orta!" The eldest sister barked. Crumpled on her desk, sound asleep, was the Guardian's medic, Orta Dragoon. Her arms were crossed before her and her head buried in her arms. "ORTA!" She shouted again. The Guardian stirred some, but didn't wake. Natalya felt a drop of sweat run down the back of her head. "You no good lazy…" She muttered, thumping her across the back of the head.

"Whaguhwha?" She asked, lifting her head up some. "Oh heya Natalya. What's up?" Orta questioned, sleep still evident in her voice.

"Something's not right with Maria. Find out what, and real fast-like." She responded, standing in the door frame, barring Maria egress.

"Yealright." She muttered, standing up and advancing on Maria. "Okie dokie, Maria. What seems to be the problem?" She asked.

"Nothing… What is this?" She questioned, looking between Natalya and Orta, her eyebrow in a confused manner.

"Natalya? What's wrong with her?"

"Well, middle of the freakin' night last night, she starts screaming, and I mean, screaming like a scared three year old. She starts screaming to high heaven, wakes damn near everyone up. Serras and I burst in, find her curled in bed, the look of death about her. I go over and try to get some cognitive speech out of her, and all she says is 'blood' and hides under the covers. Might be psychological, but I want to be sure. At this, Maria simply locked up, her extremities stopped functioning.

"Gya… Uh… NO! I'm fine… I'm… fhu… fine…" She stobbled, diverting her eyes. "Honestly."

"You're not alright, Maria. I've never seen you THAT scared in my life. You're getting looked at." Natalya crossed her arms, still blocking the door.

"I'm fine, really!" She smiled weakly. "C'mon, Orta. It's me. I'm good." Her teeth were chattering nervously.

"I will hold you down, Maria, don't think I won't."

"I'm FINE god dammit!" Maria shouted, all faux cheer draining from her face. Natalya began advancing on her, her arms uncrossed. "No!" She shouted, grabbing her sister by the shoulders, slamming her hard on the wall. Her head hit the wall very strongly, rendering her unconscious. Maria wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and ran out the door.

"MARIA!" Orta shouted, extending her arm. After she left, she ran to Natalya, placing her hand on the back of her head. "Oh, jesus…" She droned, pulling her hand back from her head, looking upon it soaked with blood. "Maria, what have you done…"

-Later.-

"Oh, good. She's coming around." Serras' voice droned, distant and distorted.

"Slowly, dear, slowly. You've taken quite the blow…" Safiria droned. Natalya managed to open her eyes and regain her bearings. "You're lucky, really. If anyone else would have been here, you'd be dead." She continued.

"How are you feeling?" Orta asked soothingly, placing her hand on her forehead. "Do you know where you are?" She continued.

"Yea…" Natalya muttered, holding the back of her head. "I'm in the Infirmary in the Guardian Tower.

"Good. Do you know your name?" Orta pressed on with her gentle questions.

"Natalya Ellie Despair." Natalya continued, shaking her head a bit, the throbbing increasing.

"Excellent. Can you tell me the names of everyone around you?" Orta followed up with another question.

"Serras Nerra…" Natalya began. Serras smiled. "Sa…Safiria Despair…" Safiria nodded and grinned slightly. "Captain Artix Von Krieger…" She droned to a finish.

"How are you feeling?" Orta asked once more, putting slight pressure on several points on her body. "Any fatigue or headache?"

"My head feels like I got a friggin' horse kickin' it…" Natalya nursed the head wound. "But other then that, no… What happened?"

"Maria is, as of oh five hundred this morning, AWOL. After disabling you, she took off. Last we have any sight of her is heading west out of Battleon towards Darkovia, her destination unknown." Krieger droned, striding to Natalya's bedside. The eldest sister swore audibly before trying to stand. "Oh, no you don't. You're not going anywhere. Crystal Lion, Wolfblitzer and Rayne are already going that way. They'll bring her back. Don't you worry."

-Darkovia. At about that time.-

The party of Wolfblitzer, Crystal Lion and Rayne stepped out into a clearing. Wolfblitzer sniffed around a bit before taking a huge sniff at the ground.

"She's close. She's at about a walk. Not panicking, just walking." He muttered, standing up. Crystal Lion nodded and ushered them forward. They continued through the clearing before Wolfblitzer stopped and started sniffing around more. "Funny... Lost the scent. It goes this way, then just... PBBBTH. Stops. Wiggy."

"Try looking up, Wolfblitzer." Maria's voice droned from above. The party looked up to see Maria sitting in a tree limb, looking up at the night sky.

"Maria. We're here to..." Rayne started.

"'Bring you back to Battleon. Do not resist and you won't be harmed.'" Maria spoke, her head never moving. "Is that what you were going to say?" Rayne nodded.

"Well, are you coming?" Crystal asked. "I can climb you know."

"One in a million." Maria replied, almost like she didn't hear Crystal.

"Excuse me?" Rayne asked, befuddled.

"Twenty-three million, eight hundred and fifty three thousand, two hundred and twelve." Maria droned, her head still locked towards the sky. "That's how many star signs there are on Lore. How many different combinations of stars any one person can be born under. All of those stars. Any of them, and you're fine. It's just that one." Her hand went up and pointed to an oddly bright star surrounded by five others. "The Darkstar."

"What are you saying?" Wolfblitzer asked, confused. "'The Darkstar'? What's that?"

"The Darkstar is a rare, beautiful star which rarely is seen from Lore. It's said that whoever is born when the Darkstar is the only star visible in the night sky, they are destined for great end. They will excel in anything they try. Top their class, if you will. A blessing... And a curse." She droned, almost as if she was not herself. Her hand went limp at her side again.

"Maria... come down from there. We need to get you back."

"Twenty-three million, eight hundred and fifty three thousand, two hundred and twelve fucking stars I could have been born under! Twenty-three million! And I had to be the unlucky mother fucker who has the god damn Darkstar as my birthsign!" She threw her arm to the ground, launching a fireball in the clearing.

"Maria... just calm down, and come down from there. Don't make me come after you." Wolfblitzer motioned to the three.

"It's said..." Maria continued, ignoring her friends. "That when the Darkstar is visible in the sky, surrounded by its companions, the Starlets, for more then two weeks, the Devourer will descend upon Lore, consume everything in its path, leaving not a thing behind. Lore will end, as will civilization as we know it." She finished, her eyes never leaving the heavens. Crystal shivered in her boots, a dread chill racing up her spine.

"Maria, you stop this crazy talk now! Get down from that tree and come back with us!" Rayne barked, drawing her sword. "Or so help me I will come up there, and if I do, you'll be missing a few parts!"

"I'll come down." She muttered, scanning the sky more. "In due time. You see, I've been having nightmares for five days now. And not just normal nightmares. Normal ones I can handle. These nightmares are the stuff that makes you never want to sleep again. The stuff that makes grown men piss their pants. Breaks down the moral of armies, kills children at just the thought. Their more like... premonitions then nightmares. Really fucking scary premonitions." She continued. "And every night that I've had a nightmare, I look out the window, and what do I see?" She pointed to the Darkstar and the five stars arranged in a pentagram around it. "THAT mother fucker. Five fucking days I've seen that mother fucker in the sky. Tonight was night six. If I see those stars in the sky tomorrow. That's it. Game over."

"What happens, hypothetically?" Crystal asked, still shaking.

"What do you think happens." She asked a rhetorical question, her eyes focused on her friends. For the first time, they could see her face. Tears of blood were running down her cheeks. "We die."

-Battleon, Shortly After-

Crystal Lion and the party had returned to Battleon with Maria in tow. Her eyes were still crying blood, and now her nose and mouth were leaking blood. She didn't seem too bothered by it. Maybe she didn't notice it, or didn't care. Captain Krieger was waiting at the base of the Guardian Tower, awaiting their return.

"Welcome back." He droned to the party. "Dear god..." He breathed. "I said not to hurt her!" He barked to Crystal.

"I didn't! She was like that when we found her! Honest-to-god truth!" Crystal threw her hands up. Rayne and Wolfblitzer did similar, backing away. Atrix grabbed Maria's face and looked at her.

"I'm fine Captain. Nothing's wrong." She insisted as he looked at her eyes.

"Jesus... You're eyes... you don't feel that?" He asked.

"Feel what?" She continued, a smirk crossing her face.

"You... don't. Do you?" He asked, wiping some of the blood away. Maria saw him pull a bloodied hand away and wiped her own hand across her eyes. When she looked at it, she saw the blood.

"Huh." She droned, licking her hand. "That is weird." She continued to lick her hand. "Never saw that one coming."

"Get her to the Infirmary. She's... not right. I can't tell physically or mentally... but you're not right, Maria. Not at all." He nodded to Rayne who took Maria's arm and led her off to Orta's corner of the Tower.

-Guardian Tower Infirmary. Late that Night-

"I don't know what to tell you, Captain. By all accounts, she should be dead. I've had her in here for six hours, and she's bled five gallons of blood. Don't get me wrong, it makes for great offerings to the Vampire Queen, but it's very, very weird." Orta told Atrix as he entered, announcing his presence with his usual 'report.'.

"Damnit, Orta, I'm fine! I feel like a million gold right now!" Maria insisted, trying to fight Atrix's hold.

"You're not fine, Maria. You're bleeding out of your eyes and you are not feeling it! You are unaffected by an otherwise life-threatening condition! This calls for drastic measures!" He announced.

"Good. Get her out of here. I'm stupefied as to her condition." The Medic replied, rubbing her temples. "But the only question is, where's left to go? I can't heal her either conventionally or magically. By all accounts, she's a dead woman." Orta muttered, mainly to herself.

"Catapult, anyone?" Atrix smiled. Natalya swallowed hard.

-Isle d'Oriens Main Gate-

"I really hate that thing, you know..." Rayne muttered, dusting herself off. Atrix just gave her a firm slap on the back and a 'ah, suck it up'.

"Besides. It builds character." He finished, proceeding to open the heavy wrought-iron gate.

"How come every time I build character, you get a good laugh at my misfortune?"

"That's just your imagination." The gate whined loudly and granted the four passage. As the great portal opened, a waft of musty, molding air blasted forth, assailing everyone's senses. Atrix managed to block with his arm.

"Enter." The stone gargoyle above the door growled slowly and rumbling. Wasting no time, the party entered.

The Isle d'Oriens was a place of science. While still in the same age as the rest of Lore, they had, for the most part, forsaken any magical connections, save for the most basic of all which is vital for all human survival, in excange for Science and Technology, one reason Warlic despised visiting. He was always so weak. If magic and convention failed, maybe technology would prevail. Artix led the party forward into the arboretum where Pae the Gecko was perched happily on her tree.

"Yo, Pae." Atrix spoke, poking the lizard slightly on the back to wake her up. "Is Vincint in?" Pae looked at Artix and nodded groggily, thowing her head towards the far wall. "Thank you." He led the group into the door where a large pile of rusted machinery parts laid in mis-use, and a large machine was being twinked with by a very busy looking Drakel.

"Vince!" Natalya called up to him. Engrossed in his work, he ignored her. "Vince!" She called again, louder and more direct. Again, Vince went about his work, oblivious to Natalya. Finally, the Despair sister went to drastic measures. She picked up a wrench from the floor and lobbed it up towards him. The metal instrument struck him on the broadside of the head, breaking his concentration. He looked about, staring in dumbfound puzzlement at the wrench that hit him. He then turned his attention downwards, towards Natalya.

"Ow." He stated, making Natalya know it hurt.

"Good. We need your help, Vince." She droned, shuffling around.

"Yea, sure, give me like, ten minutes." He went back to his work. Natalya picked up another wrench (He had a box of them on the ground.) and lobbed it up, missing him. "Jesus! Fine, fine, fine! I'm coming down. Pushy woman..." He pushed a button on the side of the framework, and the platform he was on decended to the ground with haste. "Okay. I am officially not working anymore. This damn well better be good, or else." He droned, standing up dusting himself off.

"It is good. It's my sister. She's got an... awkward condition." Natalya started. She took Maria by the shoulders and pulled her forwards. Vince jumped backwards at the sight of her.

"Good GOD!" He shouted. Taking his time, he advanced on her. "Is that... blood?" He questioned, touching her cheek. Maria had stopped bleeding from her mouth and nose a while ago. Collecting a sample of her blood on his finger, he licked it off. "Jesus... it is. Are you... feeling that?"

"Nope. I don't see what the problem is." Maria responded, looking about.

"The problem is, you are bleeding from your eyes... and it doesn't concern you. At all. I would call that a problem." Vince responded, pulling a little metal stick out of his waistband. "Look at me please." He muttered. She looked at him, and the Drakel pushed the end, the other lighting up. The moment the portable light hit Maria's eye, her pupil shut almost closed. He pulled it away, and it dilated back to normal. "Interesting." He clicked the light off and replaced it back into his waistband. "Take your clothes off." He continued.

"Wait... what?" Maria asked, crossing her arms around her chest.

"Take your clothes off. I need to check you out completely, and I can't do that with you dressed. Take them off." He continued, never flinching.

"Not with them here!" Maria barked, pointing to the others. Vince nodded, walked over to the three and began pushing them out.

"Could you three please wait outside, I'll call you in when I'm done. Go... I dunno, go bug Adder. I'm sure he'll love to see you." He shoved them all out the door, shut it and locked it.

"Well..." Natalya droned, her face going blank. "That's a new one."

"Right. Off with them." He continued, walking to a table where a mechanical hand lay.

"If I must." She droned, stripping down to nothing. "But I swear... Don't put anything anywhere." She pointed at him, halfway through taking her jeans off.

"Relax, Mrs. Despair. Your species only fascinates me in a scientific term." He muttered, attaching the arm to the stump that was once his left arm. Vince flexed the temperary arm and turned back to Maria, who hand finished stripping. "Excellent. Let's begin."

"Begin what?" She asked, shivering in the cold.

"I must check if you are broken elsewhere. It will not take but half an hour. Stand still and do as I say, and I'll be done fairly quickly. Straighten up, for god's sake. Don't make it look like such a chore." Maria groaned and stood up straight. "Now..."

He crouched down beside her and began at her feet and legs. Using his still organic hand, he felt the top and sides of her feet for anything out of the ordinary.

"Can you feel this?" He muttered, drawing his claw up her feet and legs. She shivered some and pulled her foot up.

"Hey, that tickles! Don't!" She replied, chuckling.

"Okay... so you can still feel when someone tickles you. Interesting." He muttered, walking over to a clipboard on the same table his had was. He made a few marks before continuing. Going back to her leg, he started at her foot and rubbed the outside of her leg up to her waist and back down. "No visible legions... no apparent legions under the skin... that's a good start..." He went back to the clipboard, made more notes and returned, this time to the other leg. He preformed the same exams as last time, with similar results. "Straddle your legs a little, please." He muttered, sitting on his knees. She spread her legs a bit, so her feet were only a few inches away. "Thank you." He went back to looking her over. He drew his mechanical arm up the inside of her leg, from her foot to her thigh.

"Hey, you keep that claw where I can see it, Drakel Boy." She pointed at him.

"Relax, Maria, relax. I wouldn't even dream of it. You're not my type, anyway." He droned, feeling the inside of her thigh. "Again, no visible legions. No apparent legions under the surface. Again, a good start." He made more notes in the clipboard before returning to Maria. After repeating his exam on the other leg, he moved to her waist. Drawing his hand across her waist and sides, he noted the similar lack of legions in his clipboard, much like her legs. "Nearly flawless skin... in a Guardian? Unheard of... Most interesting. My curiosity has gotten the best of me. How do you keep yourself in such good condition, despite your nature?" He asked, sitting on his knees, looking up at her face.

"Meh." She responded, twitching her head slightly. "I heal up like a starfish."

"More like your Undead body has an unnaturally high rate of regeneration. How long have you been a vampire, Maria?"

"Uh... eight years. Why?"

"Scientific curiosity, nothing more. Science dictates once the heart stops beating and the lungs stop breathing, life is impossible, yet, here you are. Dead, yet perfectly alive."

"Can we get back to the whole 'touching me like a pervert' thing, Vince? I kind of want to get this over with." She droned.

"I detest that comment. I would never touch you, unless out of nessesity. Have I ever touched you in the past?"

"Well... no." She responded.

"Then with all due respect, shut up and let me do my job." He went back to searching her. He migrated to her upper and mid back. Grabbing hold of her shoulders, he looked down and ran a hand down her spine. She shivered. "Again, recognition of physical contact... Good." He noted this. He moved to her neck. "Look down for me, please." She did so. "Thank you." He moved her hair out of the way and began searching, both visibly and physically. "Hello..." He muttered as his hand slid to the side of her neck. Two small bumps could be felt. "What are these." He looked at them, pushing her head to the side.

"What are they?" Without responding, Vince turned her head around, pushed her lips up and put his index and middle finger on her incsior teeth, then moved to the bumps. The distance matched.

"Apparent vampire bite makes. Judging by how well they have not healed, it was done by an Elder." He spoke to himself before making the same notes on his clipboard. "Who is your Sire?" He asked when he returned.

"Queen Safiria. Why?"

"Who's your daddy." He smirked, making that note on his paper. "Identification of Sire confirmed. Not Elder, but Queen." He returned once more to Maria. "Now. Turn around please." He droned, looking at her hair. She turned about to stare Vince in the face. "Initial contact with subject shows visible excretion of blood via the eyes. According to length of the trail, subject has been excreting blood for around ten to twelve hours. Approximate amount of lost blood. Unknown." He noted on his paper. He continued talking as he wrote. "Subjects pupils dilate and return to normal nearly instantly, possible connotation could be natural night vision. I will attempt to prove this, or disprove it." He walked to a huge toggle switch on the wall, near the door. "Captain Krieger, my key hole is for a key, not your eye." He muttered, pulling the toggle down. All the light vacated the room. The Drakel pulled down a small square screen from his helmet over his natural eye. As it activated, it bathed an area of around one to two inches in a soft, green aura. He walked back to Maria and held up his hand. "Mrs. Despair. How many fingers am I holding up?" He spoke, standing some fifteen feet away.

"Two." She responded instantly.

"Good. And now?" He followed.

"Still two." Maria replied.

"Superb. Again, please."

"Four fingers and a thumb." She chuckled to herself.

"Most excellent. Subject even remembered that the thumb is not a finger, but an opposable appendage." He went back to the toggle on the wall and pushed up, the lights turning back on. He pulled a key from his pocket and jammed it in the key hole.

"GAH! MY EYE! MY EYE!!!" Atrix called from beyond.

"That'll teach you, Captain." Natalya muttered. Orta giggled slightly at his misfortune.

"As earlier noted, subject has perfect, natural night vision." He noted. "Subject is, by all accounts, perfectly normal. However, I have yet to examine subject's chest. My studies into Humans has alluded to me that Human females do not like being touched on their chest, with the exception of their life-mates. I am, most likely in for quite a bit of physical pain." Vince droned, writing more.

"Do you have to monologue?" Maria asked. Vince simply nodded.

"It helps me keep my... how would you say... 'Train of thought' from 'derailing'." He muttered returning once more to Maria.

"Whatever." She responded. "Go where ever you have to, Vince, I stopped caring."

"Thank you." He noted something once more in his clipboard and returned to his subject. Using his mechanical hand, he took a gentle hold on one of her breasts and lifted it slightly. He then rubbed his organic hand under, feeling for anything. "Once more, no legions on the surface, and none apparent under the surface of the skin." He moved his organic hand away before releasing his hold on her breast. As he did, his nails drug slightly, scratching her. Maria never flinched. Vince's eyebrow went up. He didn't make any mention of it, simply proceeded to examine under her other breast. "No legions on the surface, and none apparent under the skin." He droned. He then went to his clipboard and made a note. After returning, he walked behind her, and ran his mechanical claw across her side. Silently, he pushed it into her skin, drawing blood. Again, not a flich. "Subject also has no definitive recognition of pain." He muttered.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Vince pulled the claw out of her side and brought it up to her face.

"I mean, you don't feel pain." His claw was coated with her blood and little bits of flesh. "I stabbed you. An excruciating process for any man. You would have at least felt it. Yet, you didn't even bat an eyelash. That warrants some further investigation. Let me get a..." He looked back at the would, which was closed. "Never mind. Get dressed again, Maria. We're done for the time."

-Moments Later-

The door opened once more, and Vince stepped out with Maria at his side. Maria was dressed once more, and Vince had put his mechanical claw into an acid bath to clean.

"Thank you all for your patience." Vince droned.

"You stabbed me in the eye with a key!" Atrix growled, nursing his eye.

"Did we learn a lesson? A key hole is for keys. Not eyes." The Drakel muttered. "Anyway. By nearly all accounts, Maria is a perfectly healthy, dead woman. There are a few areas of concern, however. One, the obvious bleeding from the eyes. I have not seen that in all my eighty years. And it is, admittedly, very odd." He wiped the blood once more from her eyes, but it only returned. "And second, her lack of nerve function."

"Lack of whoobawha?" Orta asked, a scowl of curiosity on her face.

"Nerve function. Observe." He dronded. He grabbed the sword from Natalya's side and drew it slightly across Maria's exposed side. "Not a flinch." The wound closed. He gave Natalya her sword back.

"So, what's wrong with her?" The eldest sister asked.

"Nothing... yet something very disturbing." Vince answered, putting his hand on his hip. "I must consult the Isle d'Oriens Library. It has the largest collection of books I know of. Maybe something contained within will be of some help." He shook his head. "However, I would like to keep Mrs. Despair here for the moment, if for no other reason, then to try some of what the books may hold."

"I have no problem. I've always liked it here." Maria sniffed the air. "Hey... anyone smell smoke?"

"Yea... we kinda... burned down Adder's shack." Atrix responded.

"WE?" Natalya and Orta shouted at him.

"Okay... okay... _I_ burned it down. You know me! You put a button with the words "Warning: Blow Up the World Button" I'ma gonna push that button! So when he said don't touch the snake... I kinda... you know... had to." Everyone groaned.

-Later. Battleon.-

"I'm really, really worried about mommy..." Gale sighed, taking some comfort in Safiria's arms.

"As am I, Gale. As am I." The Vampire responded.

"Hey Gale. Guess what?" Wolfblitzer whispered in her ear.

"What?!" She responded, perking up some.

"I've got a secret to tell you." He continued.

"Whatwhatwhat!?" She shouted in response.

"Did you know that if you poke Sage enough, she can cough out chocolate?" He muttered. Gale inhaled deeply.

"REALLY?!" She shouted. Wolfblitzer nodded. "COOL!" She ran off to find Sage. Wolfblitzer smiled at his handywork.

"You know, Angelica. I'd ideally hit you for that, but you brought a smile to her face." Safiria droned.

"Yea, I know. And my name is Wolfblitzer. Not Angelica. NEVER call me Angelica. I hate it." He responded, sitting down next to Safiria.

"Sorry, sorry." Safiria chuckled, pulling him next to her.

"I'm kinda worried about Maria myself." He muttered. "I'd freak out if I was crying blood all the time." He shuddered. "Creepy."

"Well, the best we can do, dear, is wait for Vince's diagnosis to come through, and pray for the best. Maybe the Creator will be merciful." Safiria responded. She put her head on Wolfblitzer's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Don't move, pillow." She whispered before falling asleep.

"Great. Been down-graded to a pillow. Fantastic." Wolfblitzer sighed.

-That Night-

Vince had returned Maria to the earthly plane of Lore from the Isle. He had managed to find reasoning behind everything, save the blood from her eyes.

"The lack of pain is just a natural response to fear Vampires experience. They turn off their nervous system for the duration of the stimuli. Something is scaring her so badly she can't turn her system back on. The eyes... the eyes still boggle me. I'm going to keep digging around in the library, maybe get someone to help me. Until then, she's still fighting-fit, so she's of better use down here then up there." Vince droned when he entered the Guardian Tower with Maria. "Until such time as I find a reason behind the blood-tears, I suggest she get some rest."

"Good. Sleep. I need it." Maria muttered. Atrix nodded and allowed her to sleep.

Maria entered her room just as Trip and Aria were finishing the repairs on her door. They were celebrating with their usual cheesy dancing.

"Door all fixed, Maria!" Trip announced, snapping a salute.

"Oh, thanks guys." She replied. Trip locked her vision on the blood tears.

"Uh... what's with the..." She motioned to her own face the action of tears. Maria just smiled and went inside, shutting the new door.


	3. Cesspool of Darkness

Cesspool of Darkness

Two

Maria found herself running down a stone-cold corridor once more, her breath painful and drawn out, her footsteps drowned out by the sloshing of blood being displaced under her. Skin; human skin, had been ground up and smeared on the walls, depicting cryptic messages and insane ramblings. Entrails of both humans and Drakel hung from the ceiling, and dangled from the air vents. She couldn't stop running, she just had to keep going... dead... all of them dead...

Her footsteps stopped, as she looked around the corridor. Like last night, whatever was chasing her earlier had either given up, or she'd lost it. Whatever the mitigating circumstances were, the important thing was, that she was safe; for the moment at least. The faces of her friends... the faces of people she never really knew... the face of Wolfblitzer crying out in pain, just before...

She pushed that thought to the back of her mind and ran again, her feet once more bathing in the blood of countless others. How she had escaped the carnage was beyond her knowledge, and quite frankly, she couldn't care less _how_ she had survived, it was just that she did. Something was guiding her movements, carrying her somewhere... weather it was to escape, or death, she couldn't tell, but anywhere was better compared to here.

Again, she stopped to catch her breath. She pressed her hand to a unstained portion of the wall, her other hand on her knee, and began to breathe heavily. She heard something... something breathing behind her. Forgetting that she was tired, she spun around and drew the shattered remains of her sword. But, the thing, whatever it may be, hand turned around with her, and the breathing continued. She could have sworn whatever it was was speaking to her, but it was in a language she didn't know. She just took her chances and ran away, the broken Blade of Awe still in her hand. For the first time in her life... she was scared. She would have liked nothing better then to find a little corner somewhere, curl up and just die. She didn't ask for this... she didn't want this...

Another corner was overcome by the bolting X-Guardian. The moment she rounded the corner, she slipped and fell to the ground. It was gone. Whatever was... speaking to her earlier, had gone. She simply lay on the ground to rest some. Her back was soaked with the blood on the floor, and it was soaking into her skin. She heard a small, almost inaudible noise to her right. Looking over, she saw a small, skeletal hand reach out from the floor, blood unendingly flowing from it's palm. It made a motion to grab her, but she reacted faster, and shot to her feet. Undaunted, the hand disconnected itself from the floor, and began scuttling towards her on the floor. She drew her foot up and brought it hard down on the hand, crunching it under her heavy boot. The hand let out a piercing shrill, which struck Maria to the bone. She took the next door to the left.

After throwing the door open, she slid in and slammed it shut, pulling one of the Drakel computer consoles up to block the door. Across on the other side of the room was a Drakel Guard sitting in a chair watching some of the moniters. She silently approached the Drakel, with a hand out. Just before reaching him, the chair spun around to face her. The Drakel had it's chest ripped open, his entire digestive track had been pulled from his stomach, and spilt over his lap. Maria looked down to see him clutching his own still-beating heart in his hand.

"H-Help me..." It moaned, in the same tone as last time. This dream was just like it was before, just as scary. The creature reached out to her. It stood from the chair, it's entrails slipping off of it's lap and landing on the floor in a bloody heap. It took two steps towards her, one hand reaching to Maria, the other holding it's heart. The moment it's foot hit the ground the second time, it stood still, began convulsing violently, and then dropped to one knee, as the skin began melting from its body. Before whatever had done that to him, gave the Drakel a humane death, it reached up, grabbed Maria's neck, pulled itself up, and spoke to her.

"E-Escape... you must... escape... The... The... The Devourer... C-C-Co..." It released it's grip and fell to the floor. Liquefying on impact, globs of what was once bone and flesh splattering Maria's face and front. She stood stunned before bolting from the room. Before she even got out, she ran into something. It was a barricade of some kind. She didn't see exactly. But, as she rose from the ground to see what it was, the blood all went to her feet.

It was the torso of a human... The face was too mauled to recognize who it was, but all she cared about was the intestines of it. They were pulled from the bottom of the torso and attached, one by one, to the ceiling. She saw it flinch. It reached one hand, which had previously been attached to the ceiling in a smiliar method that it's intestines were, and moaned loudly. Maria's hands cupped over her ears. The torso grabbed the stunned Guardian by the shoulders, opened it's mouth and motioned to eat her skull. She felt it's teeth touch her head before...

-

The creatures head exploded before it could get a chop down on Maria's head. Almost as if it never moved, it's arms reset back to their original positions, dropping Maria to the ground. Not a scream, not even a grunt. She didn't take the time to look at the creature before turning and running. She ran right into another body. Reacting before thinking, the shattered Guardian let out a scream and brought her arm up in defense. After nothing happened, she opened her eyes. They fell upon a very smug looking Rayne who was holding a huge tube on her shoulder.

"Come with me if you want to live." Rayne droned, offering Maria her hand. The Guardian smiled, happy to see a friendly face, and took the hand. Rayne pulled Maria up and motioned her to follow. With Rayne in the lead, she felt safe. At least _someone_ was still alive. Rayne was very cautious around corners. With each, she jumped into it and pointed the tube down the hall. With one, Rayne pulled the trigger. A large rocket, similar to the ones the Drakel Tube Launchers used, exited the weapon and exploded on something. She grinned and motioned Maria to follow her, which she did gladly.

"Where are we?" Maria heard herself ask, but it wasn't her voice. It was different... it sounded more like...

He concentration was broken by another rocket fired by the weapon.

"Less talk, C. More running." Rayne muttered. Confused, but satisfied, she continued to follow the black-haired girl. Rayne was faster then she remembered. As she ran, Rayne began to pull ahead. Before she could call out to her, Rayne had already rounded another corner. Before she could fire, a long, thin black _something_ grabbed the weapon and threw it away. Before she could dodge out of the way, the thing had stabbed Rayne right through her heart. Still alive, she tried to pull the object out. Maria never saw it. From around the corner, four more similar objects pierced Rayne in around the same spot. Dying, but still alive, she drew her sword and began hacking away at them. To no avail. Silently, all five of the spikes drew apart in separate directions with such force, it tore Rayne into six pieces. The last thing Maria remembered was the spikes seeing her and trying to kill her.


	4. Nothing Short of a Miracle

Nothing Short of a Miracle

Three

Maria awoke to Natalya shaking her vigorously from an otherwise nice sleep. She was saying something, but she couldn't tell what.

"Maria!" She finally heard her call.

"Whawhawha..." The younger Despair sister muttered, still in a daze.

"What happened? You were screaming again!" she called. Maria just rolled over to see her mattress and pillow soaked in blood. She wiped at her eyes once more. Blood. Just like the day before. She sighed. Sitting up, she could see she was coated in a thick layer of her own blood.

"I can't even sleep anymore..." She groaned, putting her head in her hands. "What the hell am I coming to?"

-That Morning-

Maria sat at the breakfast table, staring into her coffee cup. She made no notion to anyone who passed that they even existed. She just sat at the end of the table, all by herself, staring into her coffee. She didn't even acknowledge Gale when she came to wish her a good morning.

"Um hum." Was all she could managed. Crystal Lion saw this and came to the rescue.

"Hey, Gale. Why don't you go find Safiria, so your mom and I can talk, okay? When you find Safiria, tell her to come find me, okay?"

"Otie dotie!" She grinned in her cute seven-year-old toothless smile and running off, screaming 'MOMMY!'.

"Alright, you. Confess." Crystal Lion sat down across from Maria, barking in a commanding voice.

"Um hum." Maria hummed again. Not quite what she was looking for. Crystal continued to stare into the top of her head before she acted. Taking the woman by the top of the head, she slammed her face into the table. Beside the ensuing "THWACK" that resonated throughout the Dining Hall, nothing happened. Maria just lifted her head and continued to stare into her coffee like nothing happened. She then muttered 'um hum' once more. Crystal's face contorted into a grimace of anger and confusion. Taking hold of her hair once more, Crystal slammed her face into the table once more. Another loud THWACK (which Wolfblitzer and Rayne caught onto.), but other then that, nothing. Growling agitatedly, she slapped the cup out of her had.

"MARIA!" She barked once more. Maria heard it, but took her time to react.

"Wha?" She asked, almost in a daze.

"'Wha'? 'Wha' is you treating your daughter like a piece of shit! 'Wha' is ignoring anyone with two legs!'Wha' is not reacting when I slammed your face into the oak table! Twice! 'Wha' is going to get her ass kicked if she doesn't tell me what in the living essence of fuck is going on with you! That's what 'wha' is!" Crystal shouted at the full capacity of her lungs. This caught the attention of everyone in the room. Lizzie slid farther away then she already was.

"Issat it?" Maria asked. Crystal slapped her forehead, stood, and then slammed Maria's face into the table once more. "Okay I luvya buhbye." She muttered as Crystal stormed off.

"Maria..." A voice hissed in her ear. She didn't take any notice at first, but at it became more and more persistent, she had to respond. Flinching a motion behind her, the voice spoke again. "Don't turn around. Do as I say, and you'll be just fine. West of Battleon is a small cave. Most look over it, because it's hidden. Meet me inside that cave, and I'll tell you what your... problem is."

"Who are you?" She whispered. The voice laughed before answering.

"Oh... no one of any concern. Just do as you're told." Her eyes narrowed. As much as she didn't like being kept in the dark and given the run-around, she obeyed. Standing, she walked out of the hall, towards the west.

-West of Battleon. Outskirts of Darkovia. Stalactite Cave.-

"Alright. I'm here." Maria spoke upon entering. The air was sour, almost rancid. The smell of decay abundant.

"Ah. You made it. Fantastic." The voice growled. "Come closer, dear, so I can see you better." The light was dim. Any normal person would not be able to see inside. Maria could see to an extent, but not very well. "Don't be afraid. I won't..." She heard a slurping noise from in front of her. "Bite."

"You know, Epheel. If you wanted me out here, you could have just put up a sign advertising free food. I'd be there in heart beat." Epheel laughed coarsely at Maria's comment.

"Ah, yes, I could have. However, that approach lacks a certain... finesse." The spider-like Epheel crawled out from the shadows and stood before Maria. "Ah, Maria. You get more beautiful every time I lay eyes upon you..." His lips curled into a grin.

"And you more grotesque whenever I see you." Epheel burst out laughing.

"Ah, your sense of humor never fails to amuse me. Follow me, Maria. We have... much to discuss." He crawled away into the dark. Pulled by a type of curiosity, Maria followed. "Are you familiar with the Gae'Lin, Maria?" He asked, his talons scratching the cold stone floor. This name meant nothing to Maria.

"Can't say I do." She responded, her boots crunching small stones under her stride. "Why? What is it? Is it dangerous?" Epheel laughed again.

"More dangerous then you know. The Gae'Lin is what the Old Ones used to call The Devourer. No one uses the term any more, it has lost it's meaning. However, you still identify with the Devourer, and that is the name he now takes.

"This is all very interesting, Epheel, but what about your promise?"

"Ah yes. You're... Condition. About that, I cannot say. What I may say is, in the coming days, you will find it coming in more and more use. It is a blessing. And a curse. With each day your eyes shed blood in memory of those who have come before you, you will grow stronger. However, for each day that passes, you will also loose a part of yourself. A part that is paid in... tribute if you will. The Devourer has chosen you to receive a gift of strength and endurance. However, you must pay with little parts of yourself. You have already lost a part. Your X-Boost. However, being a hefty price, you will be... protected for some time. I would guess, three days or so."

"You mean he took my X-Boost?"

"No, my dear. He didn't _take_ it. You _gave_ it to him!" Epheel laughed.

"_WHAT?!_" Maria shouted. "I didn't give _ANYTHING_ to _ANYONE_! You hear me?! Nothing to anyone!" She kicked Epheel in the rear. He simply shrugged it off.

"Oh, but you did. The Seed of Life spell you used a year ago. It could not take your life, or make it go faster, as you cannot age. It could not take anyone else's life in retribution, as it was only you and your target. So, it took a prize it thought equal to the reward. Your X-Boost." He was turned around. "I believe you said you'd pay the price willingly. What happened to your earlier enthusiasm..." He grinned in his lip less way. Maria steamed.

"You little bastard!" She growled, round-housing the creature to the head. He simply crumpled to the ground and slid away with the force of the impact. As her regained his bearings and stood, he simply laughed. Maria growled again, straddled around his carapace and grabbed his neck and began to pull up.

"Y-" He chocked out. "Your nightmares..." The words escaped, but just barely. Compelled, Maria released his head. He coughed before continuing. "You are plagued by nightmares, yes?"

"Yes. What do you know about them?" She asked, walking back to face him.

"Nothing you'd like to know..." His eyes narrowed in a smile. Maria grabbed the back of his head.

"Listen you ungodly maggot." She tilted his head back and grabbed his tongue with her other hand. "If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll rip out your tongue, tear out your lungs, and carve your heart into tonights supper. Tell. Me." She droned, pulling on his tongue.

"Ohwite! Ohwite!" He lisped helplessly. "Jus donwt hur me..." He continued. She pulled her hand out and wiped the saliva on his back. After rolling his neck and checking for his tongue, he finished. "The dreams are but the knock before the answer. Just as you ask for entrance into someone's home, you must ask for entrance into the mind." Before Maria could threaten another response from him, he dashed away. "I must leave you now, Maria! But before I go, know this! This is not the Devourer's First Course!" The voice faded, and he was gone.

-Battleon; Main Street-

"There you are, Maria! I've been turning Battleon upside down for you!" Maria heard the soft voice of Safiria mutter. She turned around to feel Safiria pull her into an embrace. "Missed you. Miss me?"

"I..." Maria started. She couldn't find the right words, and settled to just push her away. "No." She finished.

"'No' what, kitten? What's wrong?" Safiria asked, walking up behind Maria. "I thought you still loved me."

"I do! God, I do! It's not that... It's just... no..." She still couldn't find what she wanted to say. She just turned and sighed. "I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm distracted, and can't think right now..." She began hearing something mutter in her head. It was saying something inaudible, but it was very loud.

"Maria... Don't push me away. Let me help you." Safiria tried again.

"I... I don't think you can help. I don't want you involved." Maria responded.

"Maria..."

"God dammit! SHUT UP!" She shouted, grabbing her head. Safiria pulled away and bit a nail.

"Maria... You're scaring me. Stop it."

"Shut up, shut up!" She groaned, hitting the palm of her hand on her forehead. "Blessed be, shut the fuck UP!" She yelled again, hitting her head more. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! THAT'S NOT ME! I'M NOT LIKE THAT!" She hollered loudly, still beating her head. Tears began to appear on Safiria's cheek. "GO AWAY I HATE YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE!" That was the last straw for Safiria. She had gone for over three hundred years and never cried. Not even as a child did she find the need to show her feelings in such a manner, but this was just too painful. Exploding into a shower of tears, the Vampire Queen turned and ran into Yulgar's Inn, where Rayne, Lizzie, Trip, Aria and Blaze had been staying. "SHUT UP YOU! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!" Maria bellowed again. She collapsed to the ground and began pounding her fist into the sand path, screaming 'shut up' as loud as she could.

Meanwhile, Rayne had been watching the whole thing from her room on Yulgar's second floor. While she couldn't hear their conversation, she had read enough into their actions. She bolted from the window to meet Safiria at the door.

The Vampire threw the door open and threw herself into the arms of the first available person, in this case, Rayne. She was wailing loudly and was a literal sprinkler of tears. Rayne, her motherly aspects kicking in, tried to comfort her. She rubbed her back and whispered in her ear.

"Blaze, do me a favor and see what in the hell is Maria's problem."

"Will do." The man named Blaze responded, giving the thumbs up.

Blaze kicked the door open and marched down the street, his eyes set on the figure of Maria who was crouched over, slamming her fist into the ground, shouting "get out of my life, you bitch!" repeatedly. He got just beside her when, out of the blue, she popped up, shouted "go away" at the top of her lungs, and dug her fist into Blaze's stomach. Ideally, he could shrug this kind of blow off. He was a big guy, and could take even Maria's hardest hits. But something was different. _SHE_ was different. The blow had staggered him some four feet, and knocked the air out of him. As he tried to regain his breath, she kicked him in the face, ran across his body, and ran away. Lizzie, looking from her bedroom window, saw this and ran down to help Blaze.

"Are you okay?!" She screamed, running to his aid.

"Y... yea. Just stunned. Grab her!" He pushed up with a hand and held there shaking. Lizzie ran after Maria. She was fast. She managed to hoist herself over rocks and over small animals.

In the end, Maria proved too fast for Lizzie to catch her.

"Motherfucker..." An exhausted Lizzie swore, putting a hand on her knee to catch her breath.

-The Isle d'Oriens. Vince's Lab-

"Oh..." Vince began, picking up a wrench. "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves! Yes I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, and this is how it goes! I know a song..." He sang, examining his project. The moment he touched the wrench head to the nut he had been aching to finish, the door opened below him.

"VINCE!" Natalya shouted.

"ALWAYS when I'm working!" The Drakel responded, turning his head to see the intruders. "Whaddaya want NOW?" He asked. Natalya shrugged.

"I need to know EVERYTHING you know about Maria's condition now." Her eyes were stern, harsh. It was unlike Natalya. Vince scanned her expression.

"Sure thing. Let me come down." He pushed the button on his left and the lift fell to the floor. He stood and approached Natalya. "What's wrong? Why the stern look?"

"Maria, is officially AWOL as of this morning. She assaulted Blaze, and left Safiria a crying wreck. I need to know what's causing this, and I need to know now." She finished, looking him in the eyes.

"I can't give you a definitive answer, but, if you'd be willing to help me root through some books, we could find out together." Natalya nodded.

"Alright. Let's do this." She responded. Vince nodded and led her to the library.

-The Great Library; The Isle d'Oriens.-

"Good sweet jesus! How many books are here?!" Natalya gawked in awe.

"Somewhere in the vicinity of three million. But don't worry. Most, if not almost all, are on the history of Lore. Only about seventy or so are on known medical conditions, some fifty more are on rare medical conditions, and about a dozen are on Black Magic induced Medical conditions. If you would grab some more help from Battleon, we'll whip this in no time!" Vince smiled. Natalya nodded and headed back down to enlist some help. Vince, in the meantime, grabbed one of the books ("The Human Body: The Magiscientist's Guide to Human Genome Manipulation") from the shelf and cracked it open to the table of contents.

He had not gotten past three books before Natalya returned with Orta, Crystal Lion, Wolfblitzer and Trip in tow. She entered the Great Library and proceeded to speak with Vince.

"Anything yet?" She asked. Vince only shook his head.

"No. Nothing to help us. Apparently, according to half these damn things, a human can't live more then an hour bleeding from the eyes. Vampires, even less time. It's bat-shit and weird. And creepy. Grab a book, boys and girls, and dig in." He grinned, tossing thick tomes to the recruited volunteers.

He had given Wolfblitzer a book called "Battling Disease, The Never-Ending Battle". Despite it's rather interesting description of the effects of Paxia Pneumonia had on Drakels, it had nothing of use. He had read the entire thing front to back.

"Hit me." He droned, throwing the book down.

"You can't be done with that!" Natalya groaned, looking up from her book. ("It's Plague!") He nodded.

"I'm done. I can read a thousand words a minute." He read the confused looks on everyone's face. "It's to compensate for my crappy words per minute writing." Vince tossed him another ("Blood Borne Diseases of the Late 4th Era") and muttered a reply. The Guardian cracked it open and began.

"This is all fascinating... but completely useless information!" Orta groaned, looking up from the pages ("I Medical") and rolling her neck. She shut the book and threw it in the ever growing pile. "Next." Vince tossed her another ("How to Kill a Man in One Hundred Swift, Painless Ways"). He then shut his and discarded it.

"I can't believe there are so many diseases around. I've never heard of half of these. I mean, look at this! 'Blight Charance', 'Porpheria Hemophilica', 'Musclilius Catranius'. Shit..." Crystal droned, looking at her book ("You've Got Three Days To Live. Third Edition") and sighing. Natalya nodded.

They had been studying the books for around three hours, before the silence was broken by Wolfblitzer.

"BOOYAKA!" Wolfblitzer shouted, jumping up. In his hands was another book ("Demonic Possession, Signs, Omens, Rare and Common Cures for your Everyday Hex, Spell, Jinx and Curse"), open to a middle page.

"I don't think that'll have it Wolfblitzer." Orta muttered, cracking her sore neck.

"Wait! Listen to this." He cleared his throat. "'While a majority of all demonic possessions are easily cured, there is also the variety of uncommon ones. These are, in their nature, rare and very difficult to exorcise. Succubi and Incubi possession, while highly rare and dangerous, may be countered by a high dose of Lover's Bane, or Lord's Bane, dependent upon which being is in control of the victim's body. After the spirit of the Succubus or Incubus has been extracted from the body, a heavy concentration of lavender incense can destroy it forever. Signs of Succubus or Incubus possession is raspy cough, thinned blood, and uneasy eyes; that is, the eyes cannot focus on one subject.'" He finished, taking a deep breath.

"Succubi are interesting, Wolfblitzer, really, but I don't think Maria's being possessed by one." Natalya sighed.

"Of course not! Succubi only possess _men_ you tard! She's being possessed by an _Incubus_!" Orta muttered. Wolfblitzer coughed loudly.

"That was just the beginning. You didn't let me finish." He smiled in the 'I-Know-Something-You-Don't' way. Again, he cleared his throat. "'The most rare and consequently dangerous of possessions is Divine Possession; that is, the victim becomes a physical, mortal avatar of one of the ten Lords. Avatars of the Energy Lord are prone to irrational thinking and equally irrational actions. Avatars of the Earth Lord are hard-cut in their ways and never yield to others. Avatars of the Dark Lord are shady, moving for the most part in the shadows. Avatars of the Light Lord avoid nighttime at all costs, and tend to wither in it. Avatars of the Fire Lord are naturally attuned to magic, and often make the best mages. Avatars of the Water Lord are uncanny swimmers, and cannot stray too far from water, lest the shrivel. Avatars of the Ice Lord have a touch which can turn anything into Ice, much like King Midas of old. Avatars of the Wind Lord are natural ninjas, able to move unseen or unheard. Avatars of the Creator are benevolent, kind creatures. Avatars of the Devourer _bleed unceasingly from the eyes_. All of these Avatars can be exorcised from the subject with time. However, Avatars of the Devourer _cannot be cured. _Avatars of the Devourer, unlike the other nine, are not chosen at random. The Devourer chooses his mortal host with great care, and some years can pass without a sign of the Devourer. _Possession of the Devourer is a sure sign of Jian'Tia._'" He finished, closing the book, his thumb in the page.

"Holy shit..." Orta grimaced, sitting down slowly.

"Oh god..." Crystal Lion breathed, stepping back.

"What's Jian'Tia..." Natalya asked. Vince had stood well before this, and was now standing in the corner.

"Jian'Tia is an Old Elvish term. It was used well before even my people came to Lore. These books are old. That we can all see. Jian'Tia is Old Elvish for "The Great Feast"."

"Sweet. The Devourer's hosting a party!" Wolfblitzer smiled.

"No, you great pillock! It's not a feast for _us_! It's a feast for _him_! For the _Devourer_!" Vince growled, bearing teeth. "It's as if our greatest fear has been realized." Everyone looked at him.

"What's that."

"This truly is the end of all. The End of Life itself."

-Dragonspine Mountains-

Maria sat upon a high mountain, her gaze turned north, towards the Crystal Desert. Even at such a great distance, she could still see the glare of the sun reflecting off the crystals below. The voices in her head had stopped, and she was just about the head back down the mountain and apologize to Blaze and, most importantly, Safiria.

"Only five hundred miles to Labrianna." Cyrus spoke behind her. Though he surprised her, she didn't jump.

"I know." She replied, her eyes never moving.

"It wasn't your fault, you know. You didn't mean to hurt her." He continued.

"I know. I just... can't bring myself to go back. I... I probably killed her. She's actually very delicate. Not used to being hurt so badly."

"Then go to her. The Crystal Desert will still be around in the morning." Maria stood and nodded. Jumping down the mountain, Cyrus watched her fall.

-Battleon, Yulgar's Inn.-

"Maria opened the door to Yulgar's Inn. As usual, Yulgar was standing behind the counter, sharpening a dagger.

"Yer back." He droned, never looking up.

"Is..." Maria started.

"Upstairs, third door on the right. Don't expect a warm welcome." He muttered, pointing up with his dagger. The Guardian inhaled, held it, then walked up the stairs, releasing her breath slowly. After reaching the third door to her right, she gripped the knob.

"It's open." A voice droned from inside. It was a cold, piercing voice. She couldn't tell who it was. Closing her eyes and muttering a slight prayer, she entered. The room was dark. The only light which could be seen was being provided by the moon, and streaming in through the window. A figure was seated on the chair near the window facing it. Maria didn't say anything. She simply stood and stared. After a few uneasy seconds passed, the figure stood. It raised a hand and the candles around the room lit, bathing the room in light. The figure could be recognized as Safiria.

"I-" Maria began. Safiria raised her arm and stopped her mid sentence. She lowered her eyes. The Vampire Queen turned and walked slowly towards her. After she got closer, Maria could see her eyes. They were bloodshot. She had been crying, and the dry highway of tears on her cheeks were evidence to this. Safiria said nothing. She simply stopped right in front of Maria, grasped her hands and pulled them up to her chest. She bent her head down and kissed Maria's knuckles. After which, she dropped her hands, muttered 'good bye' and left. Feeling something left in her hand, Maria opened it. Situated in her right hand was the very ring she had given to her when Maria proposed.

That was that. As if all the support had left her legs, she collapsed to her knees. She tried to cry, but all the flowed from her eyes was more blood.

-Safiria's Castle, Darkovia.-

The Vampire Queen entered her castle, her eyes still shedding an endless supply of bitter tears. The castle was cold in her absence. The only person around was Zorbak, who was caught in the middle of a party with some of his 'friends' (It was hard to call a mix of Undead Servants and bribed Moglins friends). When he saw Safiria barge in, he panicked.

"Oh, crap! Run guys!" He shouted. Safiria just charged past the mass of people and ran right up the stairs to her room. Zorbak traced her path with his eyes. Sighing, he finished ushering people out.

Throwing herself on the bed, she let all of her pent up emotions out. Almost as if her body was making up for three hundred years of not crying, she couldn't stop herself. She just dug her head in her pillow and let everything out. Zorbak heard the racket and decided to check up on her.

"Mi..." He opened the door to her room, stuck his head in and muttered uneasily. "Milady?" He pipped in a small voice. All he got in a response was more sobbing. "Is there anything I can do?" He asked, taking a step into her room. He watched her sprawled out on the bed, completely incoherent. "Game of... Botchee Ball, maybe?" He was trying to cheer her up. He knew how much she loved Botchee Ball, and how much he equally hated it. No response, just more sobs. He saw her reach up, grab the picture of Maria from her bedside table and throw it at him.

"Go away!" She shouted between sobs. The picture shattered on impact with the door frame.

"Right then. Leaving." He muttered quickly, darting out the door. He shut in and ran downstairs and out the main door, his destination, only he knew.

-Yulgar's Inn, Battleon-

The room was dark. The candles had long burned out. The sun was nowhere to be found. The time was around three, and Maria hadn't moved from where she collapsed some six hours ago. Her knees were situated in a pool of blood, which found its source at her eyes. She was still sobbing and clutching Safiria's ring in her hands. Once it was a token of the strength of their love. Now, it was just a painful reminder. The inside was inscribed with '_Until Final Death_' followed by two interlocking hearts. Now, all she wanted to do was smash in to pieces.

Downstairs, several people had gathered around, debating to go upstairs and get Maria.

"She's been up there for hours..." Rayne muttered worried.

"It serves her right! She shouldn't have treated poor Safiria like that! She may be a Vampire, but she's still a woman! And women are fragile!" Lizzie barked.

"Some more then others..." Was Robina's response. The door opened and Captain Krieger stepped in.

"Ladies." He muttered, giving them a nod. "Where's Maria?" He asked.

"Trying to figure out how to swim Denile." Robina replied. "They weren't kidding when they said 'and then the waters turned to blood'..." Artix grimaced. It pained him whenever one of his Guardians was hurt, but he had mixed feelings. From what Lizzie told him, Maria partly deserved it. Wolfblitzer, who had been sitting in the corner finally stood. He strode silently towards the stairs.

"Oi! Where you off to?" Rayne asked. He stopped, turned his head and pointed up. Without a word, he continued. "Fine. You're funeral."

The others stayed down for ten minutes. Once that mark had been passed, Wolfblitzer came striding back down, a small ring in his hands.

"What's that?" Lizzie asked.

"Safiria's ring. Maria wants me to torch it." He responded.

"You going to?" Artix asked. The Guardian looked down at the ring and turned it over several times. The stone was that of a blood red ruby. Around the stone was the phrase '_San'guine Vira Toran_'. Maria had explained it was Old Elvish for 'My Blood is Yours'. Probably some Vampire love poem.

"What kind of shit question is that? Fuck no I'm not gonna torch it." He responded, walking to the door. "If I'm not back by tonight, don't hold dinner." He walked out.

-Eastern Edge of Darkovia-

Wolfblitzer had stopped at the edge of the forest to speak with a Werewolf scout.

"The Vampire Wench's castle? Yea, I know where it is. Why?" He asked, looking Wolfblitzer over.

"I'm going to destroy her." He lied, inhaling casually. The werewolf growled with delight.

"Excellent. I hear she's been wounded, so maybe it'll be an easy kill."

"Maybe. Where is it?" Wolfblitzer inquired. The scout looked about.

"See this path, here?" He asked. Wolfblitzer nodded. "Follow it. When you come to a crossroads, bear west. You'll come to a place filled with bats and fog. Continue until you find a castle. You can't miss it. It's the only castle in Darkovia." The scout finished. Wolfblitzer nodded and thanked him, following the path.

After a walk, he had finally come to the castle. It was bigger then Maria told him.

"Halt." A deep voice growled. Wolfblitzer kept his cool, never moving. "What's your business here, Lycan?" The vampire asked. Wolfblitzer grinned.

"The Werewolves yield. We can't gain enough followers to continue. I bear a message of truce to the Queen." He finished. The vampire seemed to ponder this.

"Well, it's about damn time. Okay, you stay here, and I'll see if she's seeing anyone at the moment." He muttered, running towards the castle. Wolfblitzer sat.

Some three minutes passed before the vampire returned.

"Queen Safiria isn't seeing anyone right now. I was ordered to tell you bugger off. If you take one step forward, I'll waste you." His voice was unusually firm. Almost agitated.

"Tell Queen Safiria it's within her best interest if she wishes to salvage what she's thrown away needlessly, that I speak with her. Tell her I'm a friend of kitten's." He muttered, never moving.

"I can't do that. She said she'd kill me if I bothered her again..." He muttered nervously.

"I'LL kill you if you don't move, worm!" Wolfblitzer barked. The vampire recoiled and skittered towards the castle. He returned ten minutes later. He was shaking and bruised.

"She says to come up. Follow me..." He muttered. Wolfblitzer did as he was told.

He had to have been the only Werewolf to step foot inside the castle of Queen Safiria and live. An honor, to be sure. The younger Vampire had led him up a flight of stairs to a large oaken door. The vampire stopped and motioned him in.

"Go on in." Wolfblitzer complied, nodded and walked inside. Safiria was sitting on a chair facing the center of the room.

"You." Safiria growled as he entered. "I knew Maria wouldn't have the courage to apologize herself. Had to send a lackey." Her tone was uncharacteristically harsh.

"Lackey is a poor term. Maria didn't send me. As a matter of fact, she doesn't know I'm here. No one does. I spoke with Maria. She gave me your ring..." He sensed her tension. "To burn. She told me to burn it." The tension died. "But, I thought I'd play friend to both of you. We've never gotten along famously, you and I. But I want to make things right between Maria and you."

"'Right'? You want to make it 'right'? Do you have even the faintest clue to what happened?" She asked, standing. Her tone raised from mad to enraged.

"No, but there is something I can say. What ever she said to you, it _wasn't_ to you."

"How do you know?!" She shouted loudly. Wolfblitzer's tone never faltered.

"Listen to this. I found this book in the Library in the Isle d'Oriens. Thought it might interest you." He cleared his throat and pulled the book from the back of his pants. "'Avatars of the Devourer bleed unceasingly from the eyes. All of these Avatars can be exorcised from the subject with time. However, Avatars of the Devourer cannot be cured.Avatars of the Devourer, unlike the other nine, are not chosen at random. The Devourer chooses his mortal host with great care, and some years can pass without a sign of the Devourer. Possession of the Devourer is a sure sign of Jian'Tia.'" He inhaled before continuing. "'Previous Avatars of the Devourer that have been recorded in past, have been known to exhibit out-of-character behavior, most notably of which is explosive outbursts of swearing, unexplainable insults, and most concernable, unexplainable voice heard in the victim's head.'" He finished, closing the book. "I don't believe Maria was yelling at you. I think she was hearing voices in her head, and was trying to get them to stop." He held the ring out. "Think about what you want to do. Ruin your unlife forever, or salvage what you can. I'll have a talk with Maria, and set everything right." His tone was flat, yet concerned. He pulled a hip flask from his pocket and took a long drink out of it.

"How can I trust you? You're a werewolf. How do I know you're not softening me up to kill me?"

"Na I'm not." He smiled, drinking again.

"_But how do I know?!_" She asked again. He held the flask out.

"Take a whiff." He muttered. She obscured her face and looked in the flask, inhaling. She recoiled back and began to cough. "Yea, pretty rancid, huh?" He capped the flask and pocketed it. "Smells horrible, tastes worse."

"What on the Creator's Lore _is_ that?" She asked, waving her hand in front of her nose.

"_THAT_, my dear Safiria, is the waters from a hidden cave north-north-east of here. Rumor has it, it holds the cure for Lycanthropy and Vampirism. I thought I'd give it a shot. I tell you though." He opened the flask and finished the contents. "When I get back, I'm going to need a drink of something good tasting bad." He capped and pocketed the flask for the last time. "Blegh." He muttered, shaking his tongue. Safiria took a few steps towards him and sniffed the air.

"Well, you don't smell like a dog anymore... you smell like... rancid water and human..." A smile crossed her face. That was more like the Safiria he knew. "Okay. I trust you. I'll follow you.


	5. Souls of the Departed

Souls of the Departed

Four

Maria found herself running down a stone-cold corridor once more, her breath painful and drawn out, her footsteps drowned out by the sloshing of blood being displaced under her. Skin; human skin, had been ground up and smeared on the walls, depicting cryptic messages and insane ramblings. Entrails of both humans and Drakel hung from the ceiling, and dangled from the air vents. She couldn't stop running, she just had to keep going... dead... all of them dead...

Her footsteps stopped, as she looked around the corridor. Like last night, whatever was chasing her earlier had either given up, or she'd lost it. Whatever the mitigating circumstances were, the important thing was, that she was safe; for the moment at least. The faces of her friends... the faces of people she never really knew... the face of Wolfblitzer crying out in pain, just before...

She pushed that thought to the back of her mind and ran again, her feet once more bathing in the blood of countless others. How she had escaped the carnage was beyond her knowledge, and quite frankly, she couldn't care less _how_ she had survived, it was just that she did. Something was guiding her movements, carrying her somewhere... weather it was to escape, or death, she couldn't tell, but anywhere was better compared to here.

Again, she stopped to catch her breath. She pressed her hand to a unstained portion of the wall, her other hand on her knee, and began to breathe heavily. She heard something... something breathing behind her. Forgetting that she was tired, she spun around and drew the shattered remains of her sword. But, the thing, whatever it may be, hand turned around with her, and the breathing continued. She could have sworn whatever it was was speaking to her, but it was in a language she didn't know. She just took her chances and ran away, the broken Blade of Awe still in her hand. For the first time in her life... she was scared. She would have liked nothing better then to find a little corner somewhere, curl up and just die. She didn't ask for this... she didn't want this...

Another corner was overcome by the bolting X-Guardian. The moment she rounded the corner, she slipped and fell to the ground. It was gone. Whatever was... speaking to her earlier, had gone. She simply lay on the ground to rest some. Her back was soaked with the blood on the floor, and it was soaking into her skin. She heard a small, almost inaudible noise to her right. Looking over, she saw a small, skeletal hand reach out from the floor, blood unendingly flowing from it's palm. It made a motion to grab her, but she reacted faster, and shot to her feet. Undaunted, the hand disconnected itself from the floor, and began scuttling towards her on the floor. She drew her foot up and brought it hard down on the hand, crunching it under her heavy boot. The hand let out a piercing shrill, which struck Maria to the bone. She took the next door to the left.

After throwing the door open, she slid in and slammed it shut, pulling one of the Drakel computer consoles up to block the door. Across on the other side of the room was a Drakel Guard sitting in a chair watching some of the moniters. She silently approached the Drakel, with a hand out. Just before reaching him, the chair spun around to face her. The Drakel had it's chest ripped open, his entire digestive track had been pulled from his stomach, and spilt over his lap. Maria looked down to see him clutching his own still-beating heart in his hand.

"H-Help me..." It moaned, in the same tone as last time. This dream was just like it was before, just as scary. The creature reached out to her. It stood from the chair, it's entrails slipping off of it's lap and landing on the floor in a bloody heap. It took two steps towards her, one hand reaching to Maria, the other holding it's heart. The moment it's foot hit the ground the second time, it stood still, began convulsing violently, and then dropped to one knee, as the skin began melting from its body. Before whatever had done that to him, gave the Drakel a humane death, it reached up, grabbed Maria's neck, pulled itself up, and spoke to her.

"E-Escape... you must... escape... The... The... The Devourer... C-C-Co..." It released it's grip and fell to the floor. Liquefying on impact, globs of what was once bone and flesh splattering Maria's face and front. She stood stunned before bolting from the room. Before she even got out, she ran into something. It was a barricade of some kind. She didn't see exactly. But, as she rose from the ground to see what it was, the blood all went to her feet.

It was the torso of a human... The face was too mauled to recognize who it was, but all she cared about was the intestines of it. They were pulled from the bottom of the torso and attached, one by one, to the ceiling. She saw it flinch. It reached one hand, which had previously been attached to the ceiling in a smiliar method that it's intestines were, and moaned loudly. Maria's hands cupped over her ears. The torso grabbed the stunned Guardian by the shoulders, opened it's mouth and motioned to eat her skull. She felt it's teeth touch her head before...

-

The creatures head exploded before it could get a chop down on Maria's head. Almost as if it never moved, it's arms reset back to their original positions, dropping Maria to the ground. Not a scream, not even a grunt. She didn't take the time to look at the creature before turning and running. She ran right into another body. Reacting before thinking, the shattered Guardian let out a scream and brought her arm up in defense. After nothing happened, she opened her eyes. They fell upon a very smug looking Rayne who was holding a huge tube on her shoulder.

"Come with me if you want to live." Rayne droned, offering Maria her hand. The Guardian smiled, happy to see a friendly face, and took the hand. Rayne pulled Maria up and motioned her to follow. With Rayne in the lead, she felt safe. At least _someone_ was still alive. Rayne was very cautious around corners. With each, she jumped into it and pointed the tube down the hall. With one, Rayne pulled the trigger. A large rocket, similar to the ones the Drakel Tube Launchers used, exited the weapon and exploded on something. She grinned and motioned Maria to follow her, which she did gladly.

"Where are we?" Maria heard herself ask, but it wasn't her voice. It was different... it sounded more like...

He concentration was broken by another rocket fired by the weapon.

"Less talk, C. More running." Rayne muttered. Confused, but satisfied, she continued to follow the black-haired girl. Rayne was faster then she remembered. As she ran, Rayne began to pull ahead. Before she could call out to her, Rayne had already rounded another corner. Before she could fire, a long, thin black _something_ grabbed the weapon and threw it away. Before she could dodge out of the way, the thing had stabbed Rayne right through her heart. Still alive, she tried to pull the object out. Maria never saw it. From around the corner, four more similar objects pierced Rayne in around the same spot. Dying, but still alive, she drew her sword and began hacking away at them. To no avail. Silently, all five of the spikes drew apart in separate directions with such force, it tore Rayne into six pieces. The last thing Maria remembered was the spikes seeing her and trying to kill her.

-

"HEYA!" She heard someone call, diving from a door and cutting though all the tentacles. The figure rolled to a stop and sheathed his sword. She couldn't move from fear. The man stood and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Heya, Crystal. We need to high-tail it outta here before we end up like Rayne and Trip." It was Blaze.

"Crystal?" Maria asked, looking at him. He peeked around the corner and nodded.

"Come on, Crystal. Tell me you haven't forgotten your name. That's some pretty bad amnesia there." He grabbed the weapon Rayne had and ran down the hall. After a moment, he poked his head back around. "You coming? Maria's gonna tear this place apart, we have to get out." Maria, apparently in Crystal's body, shook her head and continued.


	6. Cordis de Incredulitatis

Cordis de Incredulitatis

Five

These nightmares would have driven any normal man or woman to the brink of suicide. They became progressively cryptic and frightening. Something was happening, and Maria didn't like that. She didn't like not knowing something that concerned her. She had to get to the bottom of whatever was plaguing her.

She once more sprung awake from the end of the dream. As like nights before, it had continued more, revealing that it was useless to try to figure it out. Maria opened her eyes and scanned the room. Empty, just like how she left it. The only way, it seems, that she'd get any respite from these is to never sleep again. But she couldn't just do that. It looks like there was but one thing left to do, something her and Natalya had promised never to do.

"NATALYA!" Maria shouted, tromping down the hall of the Guardian Tower. She kicked her sister's door in and stepped inside. "NAT! WAKE UP!"

"Huwhat?" She groaned, waking up from a nice sleep. "Maria? Wha you doin' kickin' ma door in this early?"

"Where is he?" She asked, getting to her knees at Natalya's bedside.

"Where's who?" Natalya asked, still dazed.

"DAMNIT NATALYA!" Maria shouted, slamming her fist on the bed. "Don't play games! Where is he?" Natalya read Maria's glare.

"Don't expect a warm welcome, sis."

"Never do."

"Western Outskirts of Darkovia. He's got a small hut out there. He often practices summoning Ethereal Realm creatures, so there may be a few guarding the hut." Natalya replied, putting her head back on the pillow. Maria glanced at her watch. Midnight.

"Alright. If Captain Krieger asks where I am..."

"I say you're visiting a friend..."

"No. Tell him to mind his own damn business." Maria scowled, running from the door.

-Guardian Tower Stables. Shortly.-

Maria entered the stables on the ground floor slowly. The slightest creak would wake up Sparky, the resident Guard Dragon. If she woke him up, every Guardian would be on her like stink of shit. Stripped of her armor, she walked silently towards the stables. Several horses were sleeping in their pens, most of them were either white or gray, with the occasional chestnut one thrown in. However, one of them, a horse named Shadow Rider, was still awake, on his nightly vigil. It was a pure black horse with glowing red eyes. It belonged to Captain Krieger, who had won him in a match with a Necromancer Lord a few years back. Shadow Rider knew Maria well, but had a problem with her riding him for some reason. She crept up to him and placed a hand on his back.

"Shhh.." She whispered, putting her other hand up. "Listen, I know we haven't gotten along in the past, but I need your help, buddy." She told him. "Just this once." She opened the gate, held her breath and vaulted onto his back. Shadow Rider let out a loud neigh which woke Sparky and half the Tower. "Ah, fuck!" Maria growled, grabbed the reigns and urged the horse forward. The torches suddenly lit, and three Guardians came through the door.

"Hey! Stop!" One shouted. They couldn't see Maria's face through cap she had on. The brim was pulled down, the light being stopped before it lit her face. "Grab her! She's stealing the Captain's horse!" She recognized the first voice as Won-Eye, the Stable Master. The other two remained silent.

"Hya!" Maria shouted, digging her bare heels into the horse's side, taking off at a gallop.

"The Gate! Shut the gate!" Won-Eye called to his friends, who were running for the gate. One of the other Guardians fired a fireball at the braces of the gate, causing them to close.

"Aqua Purge!" Maria countered, firing a concentrated stream of water at the gates. She kept riding, focusing the water stream on the center of the gates. Eventually the wooden structure failed and gave way in a fountain of splinters. With the road ahead clear, Maria road off into the darkness.

"Shit!" The second Guardian shouted. He stepped forward into the light. "Maria... what have you done..." He asked. The man looked up into the torchlite. It was Wolfblitzer.

-Darkovian Plains.-

A solitary black figure ran across the wide plains that separated Battleon from Darkovia. The figure was of a woman on the back of a horse, the woman hunched forwards, trying to lessen wind resistence.

"I vowed never to come this way again..." Maria thought to herself as the wind whipped at her hair. "I vowed never to see your face again..." She continued, looking behind her. No one was following. "I vowed never to hear your name again. Looks like I broke that vow. Hope you're ready..." She finished, jumping over a fallen tree.

"Stop the galloping... enough with the galloping... stop the galloping..." A small voice squeaked from Shadow Rider's side pouch. Maria, filled with questions, opened it and reached in, pulling out a very ill looking Zorbak. "Enough with the galloping... stop the galloping... enough with the galloping..." he continued to repeat, looking ready to vomit.

"Good evening, Zorbak. What brings you here?" He held tight onto his staff, fearing that was the only way to keep from puking.

"I thought I could... take over by hiding here for the night... could we please stop... I think I'm gonna hurl..."

"Sorry, Zorbak. Can't stop. But you're more then welcome to ride on my shoulder, if you want. It's much smoother." She placed the moglin on her shoulder and continued riding hard towards the trees in the distance.

"Thanks... hey, wait! Why are you helping me? I'm... like... a hundred percent ebil here! What happened to Guardians trying to stop me."

"After what just happened, I don't think I'm going to be a Guardian much longer." Zorbak cracked a smile.

"You stole the horse didn't you?" He muttered. Maria shrugged. "Hohaha! I knew it! You're ebil at heart too!"

"Steal is such a harsh term. I... borrowed without permission, actually." Maria muttered, breaking into the trees.

"So... where we heading?" The Necromancer asked, grabbing hold of Maria's shirt collar for balance. Maria pointed ahead of her.

"That way." She muttered, continuing.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Zorbak sighed. The road on in silence for some half hour.

"Okay, seriously, where are we going?" Zorbak finally asked, a hint of aggitation in his voice. "And if you say 'that way' again, I'm gonna hit you in the head with my staff." He pointed threateningly at her with the staff in his hand.

"I'm going to go see someone I've not spoken to in over twelve years." Maria replied, ducking under a branch.

"Anyone I know?"

"Know anyone named Sebastian?"

"Lots of people. What's his last name?"

"Despair." Maria responded.

"Um... nope. Sorry I only know three Despairs. Natalya, Safiria and y_oh my god you're going to see your long lost brother?_" Zorbak asked, shocked.

"Nope. It's my father." Maria responded. The smell of smoke was thick in the air. She could still sense it... Ren T'kak. The Drakel Super City she had destroyed eight years prior. The memories were still there, brought on by the stench of burning corpses.

"So... where does he live?"

"On the outskirts of Darkovia."

"Uh... didn't we pass that when we came in?" Zorbak asked, confused.

"Use your brain, Zorbak. He lives on the _western_ outskirts."

"Uh..." He leaned closer to Maria. "Which way is west?"

"You don't even know which is west?!" She asked, turning to him.

"Nope." He replied, slightly embarrased.

"Look at a map. West is to your left side. East is to your right. North is up, south is down."

"Oh. Thanks for that." He smiled. "I guess you DO learn something new every day."

"I figure we've got about another two hours of light left. Captain Krieger is most likely on my ass by now, followed by at least five others..."

"So, in a nutshell, no stopping for tea?"

"Exactly." Shadow Rider jumped over a chasm and landed on the other side, continuing without missing a beat. Zorbak braced against the jump by grabbing Maria's hair.

-Minutes Later-

The horse came to a stop. It was exhausted, panting and hardly able to move. Maria dismounted and gave it a pet. They had come to a stop right in front of a small log cabin on the outskirts of town. The pair drew closer. There was a soft light coming from the window. A fire, or something along those lines. Maria knocked rather viciously at the door. After a moment or so, the wooden porticus opened, revealing a rather withered old man. His once vibrant hair was now a dull blue. His green eyes were glazed over. While not physically old, he certainly looked that way.

"Hello?" He asked with a strong tone.

"I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, sir, but I have a request to make of you." She asked, Zorbak on her shoulder.

"I take it it's about your little... problem." He motioned to her eyes, where the blood still flowed freely. Maria nodded. The man returned her nod and ushered her in. "Before we get too far, allow me to introduce myself. I am Sebastian Despair. Shamen. What would you like to know this dreary night?" He asked, lighting several candles on the table.

"I want to know about the Devourer." Maria responded. Sebastian stopped.

"Ah. A seeker of The Gai'lin, I see. Is there any... reason you seek him?"

"My reasons are my own, but take solice in knowing they are purely devoid of evil intent."

"I would expect no less. Now, may I ask you your name?" He asked rather candidly. Maria nodded.

"I am Maria De..veroux." She corrected herself, sighing in relief.

"Ah, Miss Deveroux. You right a late steed, I see. Have a seat." He gestured to a chair around a square table. Maria sat and looked about. "Now, before I tell you what you want to know, allow me to tell you things you already know. It is to establish that I am not attempting to swindle you. You understand."

"Of course." Sebastian sat across from Maria and closed his eyes. The air grew cold and picked at Maria's exposed arms and legs.

"Hum... You are a strong woman, Miss Deveroux. Your friends are many, and strong. You are married... you have a daughter who rides the winds... yes?"

"Yes. Gale is her name." Sebastian nodded and smiled, but his eyes never opened.

"You are friends with Cat and Dog alike, yes? A wolf, and a tiger..."

"You must mean Wolfblitzer and Felix. Yea, they're my friends."

"I am seeing... a sister. You have a sister that you care for very deeply. She holds a secret that would bring disgrace to her family..." He trailed off.

"Yes. Natalya. I love me sister... She's a good woman." Sebastian stopped, a slight tear rolling down his face. "Sir?" She asked. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, yes... I had two daughters once. Maria and Natalya. Good, gorgeous girls." He reminiced.

"What happened to them?" Maria asked, knowing full well she was who he referred to."

"Oh, heaven's knows. I was away on business when the Great Fire Dragon Akriloth attacked. He took my entire family from me. My wife, my two kids... even my cat... Left me with no one. I always told myself that I'd see them again one day, but I am, sadly, running out of 'one day's." He shook his head. "But enough about me. Let us continue." He sat up straight and regained his posture. "I am also seeing that... oh my..." He struggled. "I see a bat, and a baby... You are a vampire, yes?" Maria started to speak. "No, not a vampire... a... half... vampire. You must feed on blood, yet the sun does not scorch you."

"That is correct."

"I see a larger bat... it's wings holding you in an embrace... you are... married to a vampire... slave to a vampire... I cannot tell."

"Married." Maria clarified for him.

"I can see that this bat which holds you is large. An elder... perhaps older."

"Actually it's... nevermind." Maria brushed it away.

"Ah, yes, I see it now. Safiria is her name. The Vampire Queen. How... odd..." He cracked a smile. "Now that I know what you already do, let me tell you what you want to know. You seek knowledge about The Gai'lin. There are thousands of books on Lore. Most of which, are simple stories. No more fact then history. However, two books which you must search for. One, is called "Flesh Feast". It is a rare book, only one known copy existing. The second is called "C_oridias de Marte sel Lore_". This book, is impossible to find, the Drakel hold the only known copy in existence in their Super City of Ria Mossian, due west of here. It is a long, hard journey, but you are an independent woman. You shall have no issues getting there. However, gaining entrance is a whole new matter entirely. I trust this information helps you."

"Yes, it does, sir. Thank you." Their conversation was interrupted by a vicious knock at the door, then a booming voice calling:

"Maria! This is Artix Krieger of the Paladin Order! You are hereby under arrest for Grand Theft, fleeing the scene, and assaulting a Guardian of Battleon! Come out peaceably, and you will be treated with the dignity you deserve!" His voice softened. It was now less commanding, more like the voice of reason from a friend. "Please, Maria! There's fifty three of us out here! Come out, for the love of the Creator, stop running!" Maria shook her head.

"I can't Artix! I can't stop until I find the answers! And I won't find them from behind bars in the Guardian Tower Brig! I'm sorry!" She heard Artix swear.

"Maria, at least release whatever prisoners you are holding in there!"

"Prisoners?! There are not prisoners here, Captian, I'm not that kind of girl!" She barked back.

"You are in the company of one Sebastian Despair and one Zorbak! Let them go, and no one will get hurt!"

"Sir, you are free to go. And tell them you weren't a prisoner." Maria told Sebastian. All he did was nod and exit.

"Alright, now let the moglin go, too!"

"Time to go, Zorbak." She placed the tiny Necromancer on the floor. "Head on out."

"Oh, fuck that! I've not had this much fun in years! Hell, I've not had this much fun since fuckin' CARNAX! I'm stayin' with joo!" He whacked her in the head with his staff, after jumping back on to her shoulder.

"Zorbak's staying with me, he says!" Maria called out.

"Oh, bullshit he is! Zorbak! Come out and you'll be absolved of your wrongs!" Artix called in again.

"BONE! THAT!" He shouted back, flicking the door his middle finger. "There's not way in HELL I'm coming out with fruckin' fifty three of ya!" He continued. "Are you hearing this? It's crazy!" He told Maria, who just laughed.

"MARIA DESPAIR! You WILL come out THIS! INSTANT! Or I WILL break the door down, and drag your ass all the way BACK! And DON'T THINK I WON'T!" Artix continued to shout, his voice crackling under the tension. Zorbak jumped up to one of the windows up high and looked out. His purple skin went ghost white.

"Fifty three my ASS! All of Battleon is down there! Must be five hundred, at least!" Zorbak muttered. He perched back up on Maria's shoulder. "So, what do we do now?" He asked.

"We go outside. Like they want."

"Wubbajubbawha?!" Zorbak shouted, confused. "But you said... not coming... eeeehhh..." His face went like a Picasso and he shut down for a second.

"Relax, will ya? I've got everything under control. Just hold on to me." Zorbak complied, and grabbed her head.

"Alright, you win. YOU WIN! I'm coming out!" She feighned defeat. "Just tell me... Is Natalya out there?" There came a pause.

"I'm right here, Maria. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you! Just... everyone's out for blood... Half of the town wants you dead!"

"It's okay, Natalya. I'll be fine. Just, do me a favor, would you?"

"Sure, sis. What's wrong?" She asked.

"Take a few steps to your right. I... I don't want to see you. Too painful."

"Certainly." Natalya responded. There came a pause. Maria inhaled deeply.

"Natalya; I love you!" She shouted, charging the door. She kicked the wood door in, shattering it into a million smaller spears of wood. The flying shrapnel dazed everyone long enough for Maria to run out into the crowd and leap over everyone's head. She landed on a tree, looked down at everyone, waved woefully and dropped, running into the trees, dissappearing.

"Holy jesus!" Artix shouted as he lost sight of Maria. Dozens of Guardians tried to pluck the pieces of wood from their chests and arms. He shook his head, defeated, then turned to Sebastian. "Are you okay, sir? Did she hurt you?" Sebastian was too stunned to speak. All he could do is stare at the place Maria ran off into and shake his head, devistated.

"My daughter... right in my hands... And I was too blind to see her... to blind to see my own daughter." He collapsed to the ground in a fountain of tears.


	7. Cry In The Night

Cry in the Night

Six

"_Solen vina perakata. Norenlagath. Ti mok en toea seenak bora sila, va, solenves tirrram sokotono sdrinnaiannaes jin'miara. Klinthera sopea wadsen venna alles yos basses areae belnge tehao uuss. Sen Gai'lin sorrentes varru doniara socatoas._

"_Desniara giaran to varru. Mok en seenak bora Xnlrd makente, ven, isant, somen tilik sorrentiasmaro Gail'lin varru Xnlrd basses alles bora klindatuuun gjidjrm. Oliananasijana hardnakraware stoosenvirea, groken, sroken, vroken, diolara mitaara. Shegnorathian vappa kilten, vopan, sorrentiars. Desniara Gai'lin. Gail'lin ev ti mok seenak bora sila solenves. Ibuu suulennao samatzukan. Forrrmiiidssa sagean, kilminarte grinthan gailin klattuu barrraatuu nicktuuned alles yos basses areae belnge tehao uuss, takkenes ofe evrteh zigenias, koppen corrabanaktra, supaleetz._

"_Sallaiana Gai'lin gailin fornaratura sexnurapal, serreas, berturdara bekdar hojinka tookas giigarra. Fiaa kiie soone goolag hzuentai sarres airam aylatan reztilbflow latsyrc noil dobles buubles toiiioles toouble feir buuurrnsz unt caldroron buubles. _

"_'Ish bon ko varru ez trisigniuars. Currse dos fleshesg, dek fleshesg unt soelds oof Kindre shontel felnteral. Currse dos insaimiaty, uwan dotsas twan. Koosoolan grepea kotokotokoto vapa ishnta fia. Currse dos vitaeist, vitaeist wolfen eerf. Kant vitaeist hotmah fuukenjeebereesh.' Septhiroztheran hiish xzankan. Goroora zat go zat _C_oridias de Marte sel Lore"_


	8. Sanitys Edge

Author's note: WHEW! I'm so glad to be typing sanely again! In case you all missed last chapter, it was one hundred percent jibberish, and no, you were not supposed to understand it. Not even _I_ understand it, for heaven's sake, and I wrote it! BUT, if anyone can find all the easter eggs I put in said last chapter, I will write their character, AQ or OC in the next chapter as the protagonist. Trust me, you must use your brain. There's not just one or two, there's like... nineteen ... so get lookin'. Oh, and Wolfblitzer, Crystal Lion, DA, Flame, none of you all count, since you're regulars. If you can find them all, cool, you get cookies. But I won't write you in, as you're already in. . And before anyone asks, no I'm not a big incest fan. You'll understand shortly.

Sanity's Edge

Seven

The halls of the Drakel Super City were quite; far too quiet. Something was wrong, but Artix couldn't place his finger on it. They had spent three days on the road trying to reach the city with due haste. Maria was faster then any of them, even if they were to be on horseback, she could still out run them. The once clocked her running speed at somewhere in the vicinity of fifty-seven kilometers per hour, breakneck speed. Artix had sent the majority of the strike force back to Battleon, proceeding with only Crystal Lion, Lizzie, Rayne, Trip, Safiria, Natalya, Serras, Orta Dragoon, Warlic, Vince, Felix, Wolfblitzer, Robina, and a new Guardian, fresh from training.

"I don't like this..." Wolfblitzer voiced everyone's concerns. "The door was open, and no one was guarding it to stop us from just walking in... it's very, very queer." His sword was at a ready, a torch in his other hand.

"What's even worse is the Drakel don't like the dark... why is it not brighter then noontime in here?" Rayne muttered, looking at one of the broken lights.

"These... they weren't powered down..." Vince muttered, touching one. He sniffed the air around it. "As I thought. They've been overloaded. Someone _blew_ them out."

"So, in short, there's no way to turn them on, is there?" Felix asked, gripping Wolfblitzer's arm, shaking from head to tail with fear.

"I'm afraid not. But, on the plus side, the defenses are offline as well... so we won't have to worry about Vulcan Cannons ripping us to tiny pieces."

"Holy shit..."Artix stopped, frozen in suspense.

"What's wrong?" Rayne asked, looking forward. She brought her torch up to see what Artix saw. "Oh my god..." She breathed her sword falling from her hand. In the adjacent corridor, they had found the guards. From Rayne's best count, there were at least twelve bodies in the room... well... she could count twelve _heads_, as for the bodies and subsequent limbs that they should have, they were all MIA. Blood was smeared on the walls, and there were long, wide gashes torn into the bulkheads of the hall. Some of the heads that were strewn around the room had looks of agonizing pain on their faces. Their eyes were turned up inside their skulls, and their tongues had been torn from their mouthes, along with their teeth, spinal column, and brain.

"I think I'm gonna hurl..." Robina gurgled, barely holding in her dinner. "I am! I'm gonna hurl!" She ran off back around the corner and crouched down, reliving all of dinner, lunch, and most likely breakfast. Rayne tried to keep her composure. She placed her unused arm over her nose to block the rancid stench of decaying Drakel flesh.

"Captain Krieger..." Vince muttered, looking over one of the gashes in the wall.

"What?" Artix replied, trying to keep his food down too. He walked to Vince, who had one of the Drakel's arms jammed, claw side in, into the gash.

"Look at this." Vince spoke, still holding the arm.

"What am I looking at?"

"These marks. Look at them! They're huge! Long, wide, and deep. No Drakel I know can make claw marks this deep. The only thing I can think of with nails that big, is a dragon."

"A dragon'll never fit in here!" Artix rebuttled, snatching the hand from Vince.

"No dragon YOU know of will fit in here... No dragon YOU know of..." Vince repeated, pushing his own hand into the gash. "Good creator..."

"So... what do we do now, Captain?" Felix asked, plugging her nose with her two fingers. Her voice was slightly squeeky.

"There's only one thing we can do. Follow the destruction." He lead the group farther into the warpath, treading lightly, ever aware that any one step could be their last.

"Oh, holy jesus..." Vince mused, staggering behind the group.

"What now, Vince?!" Artix groaned.

"Look at these marks again... Look how many their are."

"And?" Artix asked, studying the gashes.

"Drakel have three fingers and a thumb. As do dragons. There's _four_ gash marks. Four fingers and thumb."

"Are you saying a _human_ did this?" Felix gasped.

"That's impossible!" Warlic barked.

"Not completely. X-Guardians have been known to grow claws."

"Claws!" Rayne replied. "Not claymores! Whatever made these marks must have... at least nine inch claws... a monster, no doubt." She picked up her sword again and sheathed it. "Never hurts to be prepared."

-

The group progressed for several minutes, following the destructive path of whatever made those marks. They had finally arrived at an Antechamber of sorts, a smaller room which lead into a large one. The door was shut and locked, blood smeared across its face.

"Where to now?" Artix asked.

"One rather nasty looking door there..." Natalya spoke. Artix moved to the door. "But I wouldn't be the first..." She continued. Artix hesitated before opening it. The door lock popped off, as if from years of misuse. The portal opened, revealing a rather dimly lit library of sorts. Everyone stood ridgid. Before long, Artix moved to enter.

"Wait, Captain!" Felix interrutped him. He stopped. "Might be dangerous..." She continued. The Cat Demon grabbed Lizzie and put her before him. "Send her in first." Lizzie hissed at Felix and stepped inside.

"Serras, Safiria, Wolfblitzer, guard the door. If you see anything that looks even remotely inhuman, destroy it." Artix ordered. The three nodded and waited. The other progressed inside.

The library was huge. The sheer number of books dwarfed that of the Great Library in the Isle d'Oriens. One one shelf alone stood some two thousands books. Most of their bindings lost to the test of time, however a select few remained in tact. Natalya read some of the titles off as she passed.

"'Soul Binding'... 'A Caravaner's Guide to Lore'... 'Incest; The Great Pleasure'? What the hell..." She muttered, rejoining the ranks.

"I wonder where the librarian is..." Rayne breathed. The group rounded the corner into an opening. Situated in the opening was one single table, piled sky-high with books. Around the table lay the corpses of several hundred Drakel. And sitting at the table was a crumpled over human corpse.

"Holy God of Living Fuck..." Orta mused, covering her mouth against the stench of rotting flesh. Before everyone's very eyes, the Human corpse sat up.

"'_His coming shall be foretold by three signs. The Curse of Flesh. The mortal shell of the Kindre, His servants, shall be ground to water, and Lore shall drown. The Curse of Insanity. One Becomes Two, and Lore shall burn. And the Curse of Blood. From the Window, His Avatar shall flow the water of Life from whence there is no repreave. And Lore shall be devoured._'" A somber female voice spoke cleanly in the air. It finished with: "'C_oridias de Marte sel Lore, This is the End of Lore._'" The light in the chamber intensified, and everyone could see that what they once thought was a corpse, wasn't, but Maria. She was missing her shirt, and three rows of short, sharp spines ran down her back, one row down the middle, and one row on each side. Natalya shuddered.

"My god... Maria?!" Her sister shouted, flinching her way. Felix grabbed Natalya's arm.

"Nat, don't! That's not Maria... at least not any more..." The Cat Demon groaned, her eyes going unusally stern.

"Preceptive, Cat Demon. Very preceptive." Maria muttered, turning to face the group. Atop the spines on her back, her canine teeth had grown into huge fangs, and her eyes, which have always been a soft, somber red, now glowed fierce, like fire. The whites of her eyes now radiated in a piss-yellow tone, small capilaries visible. Artix's eyes migrated to her hands. On each finger grew a single, sharp, nine inch claw, each hand adorned with five, and each one sharper then even a Blade of Awe.

"What on God's Lore ARE you?!" Rayne spoke. Maria, or at least what was once Maria, laughed a menacing, piercing laugh.

"Come now, little mortal. Surely you've heard the stories?" Rayne shook her head. "Well then, maybe you'd like to hear a short story before you all die..." Artix reacted.

"No stories, demon! Just you and us!" Another creepy laugh.

"There will be time enough for your death, Paladin. For now, I wish only words with you." The creature inhaled, it's voice taken from Maria's chest. "In the beginning, there were ten of us. Fea'lin and Wa'sin. My brother of Fire, and sister of Water. I'lin and Wi'lin. My brothers of Ice and Wind. En'sin and Ear'sin, my sisters of Energy and Earth. Da'lin and Li'sin. My brother of Dark, and sister of Light. And finally, Sae'sin and myself, Gae'lin. My dear sister of Creation." The shell of Maria began circling the group slowly. "In the beginning, we were all as one, what all families should be, a single, cohesive unit. I loved my brothers and sisters. To death. However, there comes a time where all families must part ways...

"Fae'lin and Wa'sin were the first. Being the youngest, they were easily seduced by power and prestige. Wa'sin was the first to grow suspicious of her brother, and out of that suspicion, she created the Mermazon to guard her underwater palace..." There came a pause as Maria began drawing on the floor with a claw. She drew a circle with ten places, a circle on each place, and an elemental symbol on each circle. The pattern was arranged like that as Natalya had seen once before in a book in the Isle d'Oriens. Each element had it's opposite across from it. The top and bottom symbols were empty. "Following Wa'sin's deception, I'lin and Wi'lin feared for their saftey, and thus, broke away. I'lin, out of fear of Wa'sin, created the Goroggog, or the creatures you know as Groggs. As a reaction to I'lin's irrational behavior, Wi'lin created Bloatts, hoping to stay away from any conflict, which was certainly on the rise. This, was the end of a very beautiful relationship.

"En'sin and Ear'sin followed in their brother's footsteps, and broke away from the family, leaving only Da'lin, Li'sin, Sae'sin and myself. En'sin and Ear'sin, always together, yet always apart, had created the Zzots and Behemoths as a way of keeping the others at bay. More aggrivated then scared, Da'lin and Li'sin broke away, and created the two most feared creatures on Lore, Vampires, and Werewolves. While both are Da'lin's creations, Li'sin got the Werewolves, and allowed them out in the day.

"Thus, only Sae'lin and myself were left. I loved my dear sister, but never could stomach her ways. Always helping those smaller then her, it sickened me. And so, I broke from my sister. But, Fea'lin, always the hot-headed one, created something which would send everything... to hell.

"He created Dragons, and from Dragons, Akriloth was born. By this point, Lore was unsuitable for any life, and so we left, in search of a new home. However, before we left, each of the ten brothers and sisters left their mark on the world. Fae'lin, Dragons; Wa'sin, Mermazons and other creatures of the deep; I'lin, Dwarves and Ice Creatures; Wi'lin, Birds and frogs; En'sin, Ethereal Creatures; Ear'sin, The Behemoths; Da'lin, the Undead, and Li'lin, Sentinals. However, ever the... generous one, Sae'lin created Humans. Filthy, disgusting, Humans.

"And so, in spite, I stayed behind as all left Lore, and gave birth to my own followers. Plucking the best from the Human stock, I created Lizard Men, Drakel you call them. And they served me well. And then I looked back at my retreating brothers and sisters, and thought... why not have some fun?" The Gai'lin sat in a chair.

"And so, every several thousand years, I come back and check on Lore's progress. This is check number nine. Nine times I have done this, and I have yet to find a warrior who could best me. So tell me, is this the one? Lucky number nine? Will I finally find someone to fufill my ultimate wish? A quick, warrior-worthy death?"

"Why not just kill yourself?" Felix asked.

"Every time I do this, SOMEONE's got to ask the dumb question. Do you know nothing of the Ethereal Realm, little mortal?" Felix shook her head.

"Ethereal Realm creatures are forbidden to take their own lives. Their bond with the magic of Lore is far to strong. If they could find the will to destroy themselves... well... the result would be poor for us..." Natalya answered.

"I'm shocked!" The Gai'lin groaned, gripping Maria's chest and standing. "Someone who actually knows of Temporal Laws and Regulations. You are correct mortal. More specifically, if I were to destroy myself, all of the Galaxy would reign unchecked. Something I cannot allow to happen."

"So." Lizzie chimed in. "What happens now?" The Gai'lin laughed again.

"A most excellent question. Now, I begin an age-old tradition. Those gathered here before me, shall be participants in my Hunt. The rules are simple. You will all be transported to various points in the city. You are to find yourselves, regroup, and destroy me. If you can. However, be fast. For every hour, starting when I send you away, I will erradicate one quarter of Lore's population." A smile crossed Maria's fanged face. "Begin." Everyone in the room disappeared, save for Natalya. "You, however, have a different fate to come..." He motioned her closer, which she complied with rather reluctantly. "I wish to tell you a secret, mortal. Will you hear?"

"I guess. Seeing as I've no choice." The Gai'lin laughed.

"Most excellent! Here is what I wish to say to you. Your sister, Maria. A fine specimen. She is perfect in every way for my... gift to take root. She held everything I needed to manifest myself within her. Hate, an inescapable blood lust, a reason to live. However, one thing prevented me for the longest time from taking what was, by right, mine. Her accursed purity. Her body was kept much like a temple. She ate properly, exercised regularly, and was, on the whole, uncorrupted. However, one little mistake, one innocent foul up corrupted her body, spirit and mind. Do you know what that was?"

"Irregular sleep patterns?" Natalya snapped back a witty retort. It didn't even make him chuckle. "What? Not even a titter? Tough crowd..."

"No... not that... what corrupted her so was far more... damning." He reached a hand around and stroked Natalya's hair. "Her flaw... her only corruption, was a lust of a different kind. She wanted you, Natalya! She craved for what she couldn't have... willingly, anyway. She longed to touch you... make you feel... special. Special like no man ever could! Special like only a sister knew how..."

"What are you saying, foul creature?" Natalya barked, slapping his hand away. The Gai'lin chuckled and continued to stroke her hair and neck with it's massive, sword-length claws.

"Ah, I suppose what I'm saying is: She loved you, and not like a sister. Like a wife, a girlfriend. Like she loved the Vampire..." A slight purr escaped the Gai'lin's lips. "Often, she would pick the lock to your door, slip in and watch you sleep at night... fantasize about you... But soon, it wasn't enough. It wasn't good enough to just watch, and think. She had to do! She had to put herself into motion... so she would sit on your bedside at night... stroke you, as I do now... and when that lost it's interest, she would crawl into bed with you... pull the covers up to her neck and pull up close to you... feeling you on her... It was enough... for a time. As her feelings grew, so did the urge... the urge to take! Take what could not be returned!" The Gai'lin's voice was harsh now, barking. It frightened Natalya. "And so, on one night, she snuck into your room, took her clothes off... slipped into bed... pulled your cloths off... one piece..." He slipped a claw under Natalya's armor and pulled, the shoulder pad popping off and falling to the ground. "by one slow... steady piece..." He slipped the same claw under another section of Natalya's armor and popped the other shoulder pad off. "Until it was just the two of you... naked... under the sheets... and she would touch you... caress you... love you..." He leaned closer, hovered his borrowed lips over her ear, and hissed his last words. "Rape you..."

"That's a lie!" Natalya barked back instantly, raising her defense. Another laugh from the Gai'lin. "You tell me nothing but lies! You spread dissent amongst the ranks!"

"Come, come now! You who knows so much of Ethereal Realm creatures... you of all people should know, Ethereal Creatures cannot lie...We just can't..." He smiled, victorious.

"Damn...!" Natalya shouted, slamming her fist into the table to her left. "I... I still don't believe you! Maria wouldn't do anything like that! She... she just wouldn't!"

"Ask her yourself, little mortal..." The Gai'lin smirked. The creature collapsed to his knees momentarily, before falling to it's stomach. Natalya crouched down.

"M... Maria?" She asked uneasily.

"Nat...? That you?" Maria asked.

"It's me, Maria, it's me..." Natalya's voice was less then entusiastic.

"Listen... Natalya, I know how to destroy the Devourer! It's in a book called the Cordiais de Marte Sel Lore... You have to..."

"Maria, I have a question." Natalya asked before Maria finished. The younger sister took her time before responding.

"Is it an important question?"

"No..." Natalya started. "And yes..."

"Listen, this is no time for questions! You have to find this book and..."

"Remember poker night a year ago?" Natalya questioned, cutting Maria off.

"_What_?!" Was Maria's response. "Of course I do! This is irrelevant!"

"I need to know something... I need to know something very important. Just... hear me out, and answer my question."

"Fine, fine, what?" Maria barked.

"Remember when you said that you had fantasies about me when we first met?" A look of puzzled anger stuck to Maria's face.

"We covered this already, Natalya! _Now is not the time_!" She barked, trying to stand.

"It is!" Natalya shouted. The sheer action of Natalya raising her voice to Maria... it scared the younger. "Tell me, Maria. Have you ever acted on those fantasies?" Her voice was piercing. Very stern. Maria's limbs trembled under her own weight. She couldn't hold herself up. Her lips remained closed, betraying no response. "Answer me."

"I..." Maria started, searching for the correct way to answer the question.

"Answer me..." Natalya's voice was shaking, enraged. She knew what the answer was, but she couldn't be satisfied until she heard Maria say it. Her fists clenched at her side.

"I...I..." She stammered, her eyes scanning the ground looking for something to use.

"_ANSWER ME!"_ Natalya shouted, her voice knocking three books off the shelf.

"YES!" Maria barked finally, her arms finally giving out, her torso falling. Natalya relaxed. She had her answer. She had her painful... damning answer.

"How..." Natalya tried to regain her composure. She inhaled before continuing. "How long?" Her tone had shifted to a calm, understanding one. Maria, defeated, spilled.

"I lost count..."

"Give me a ballpark."

"S..." The word was hard to say. "Seven years..."

"Seven years?!" Natalya's face went ghost white, almost as if she was dead. "Seven YEARS?!" Maria couldn't move. She had been found out, and it killed her. "SEVEN FUCKING YEARS, MARIA? SEVEN?!"

"YES NATALYA! SEVEN! WHAT IN THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? DRAW YOU A FUCKIN' MAP!?" Maria's voice came out hard and harsh. A shaking hand covered the older sister's eyes as she closed them. That was that. Her knees gave out and fell, hoping to be friends with the floor. Maria still couldn't pull herself off the ground.

"You know what, Maria. I don't know what to do with you anymore..." Natalya droned through her hand. "First, you beat the shit out of me... then you have the guts to, first of all, TELL me you've been having fantasies about me, but, oh, never mind that you've been LIVING them for the last SEVEN FUCKING YEARS! NEVER MIND THAT! You think lying to me will work Maria?! I..." She stood painfully and began pacing. "I've always protected you, Maria! I've always been there for you, haven't I?" Natalya didn't wait for an answer. "Two years ago... Paxia. Remember we went on that raid together. We got captured. They were going to kill you... But I stood by you! I had your back then! I protected you until help arrived..." Her voice trailed off. Her once perfect face had been stained with tears, her eyes bloodshot. Weather her eyes were bloodshot due to the crying, or the sheer rage she felt was uncertain. "I admit. I enjoyed sharing that piss-poor excuse for a bed roll we had then with you... but... for the love of GOD, Maria! Does _anyone_ know about this?" Maria shook her head.

"No... Listen..."

"**_NO YOU LISTEN!_**" Natalya shouted throwing a threatening finger at her. "YOU listen to ME for a change, Maria! I _protected_ you! I _cared_ for you! Who the hell do you think found the money for your training when mother died? Me! Who the hell arranged for you to become a Guardian at such a young age? Me! You needed discipline, Maria! You always were brash! I thought that if I had you trained to fight, you'd start looking at life a little more..." She struggled. "I dunno... objectively. But I guess I was wrong. You're just the same now as when you were younger. Only older, and less alive. You're not that special! You're not! You are just like everyone else who's a Guardian! Young, naive, _vulnerable_. You are not a god, Maria! You can die! And if I had half the mind I do know, you'd already be dead, I swear upon mother's _grave_ I would kill you so fast..." Natalya gripped her fingers around air to try to subside her rage. She was trying her very best not to kill her sister.

"Nat..."

"**_DON'T YOU 'NAT' ME, MARIA! DON'T YOU FUCKING 'NAT' ME!_**" She had used her hand to slap the side of Maria's head hard. She slapped her three or four more times before restraining herself. "Do you know what you're problem is, Maria? I'll tell you your problem. Your problem, is you can't keep your fingers out of holes that don't belong to you! That's your fucking problem! You can't keep your fucking hands to your fucking self!" Maria didn't move. She was too scared to move, thinking any single motion would force Natalya to kill her. "Maria... Listen..." Her voice had become softer now. "I don't mind once... Once could be considered an issue... once... we could have seen someone about it... fixed the problem... but over the course of seven years? I can't allow that! You... you... Ah, fuck, I'm so mad I can't even THINK straight..." She pressed both hands against her head and tried to focus. After a time, she continued. "Maria. I'm not going to say anything else, for fear that I just loose it, and kill you, which, might I add, I have every right to. But, as you are my sister, I am going to try to walk away... just pray... for both our sakes, we never see each other again." Natalya stood and walked to the door, but didn't get halfway before whirling back around and coming back at Maria, anger once more in her eyes.

"_HOW COULD YOU_?!" She growled, grabbing her by the neck, hoisting her up and squeezing. Maria didn't move. She just hung there, her sister throttling her constantly. Being undead, it didn't bother Maria. Natalya knew this, and the strangling was more symbolic then practical. "_How could you?! How could you?! How could you?!_" Natalya repeated, shaking her sister back and forth, steaming with untamed rage. Finally, as if running out of juice, Natalya threw Maria to the floor and collapsed to tears. She just sat there and cried like some neglected three year old. It was rather pathetic, really, but it did make Natalya feel better.

After crying for some time, Natalya finally stopped and looked again at Maria, who's face was of a somber pain. Natalya spoke after a pause.

"Do you teach this kind of thing to Gale?" Natalya asked, wiping her tears away.

"Leave Gale outta this..."

"Do you?! Is that your idea of 'parenting'?" Natalya continued. Maria reacted.

"Natalya, leave my daughter out of this!"

"**_SHE'S NOT EVEN YOUR DAUGHTER! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHOS DAUGHTER SHE IS! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF SAYING SHE'S 'YOUR' DAUGHTER!? SHE HAS NO REASON TO LOOK TO YOU FOR ANYTHING, AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVEN SAY HER NAME!_**" Natalya's voice was raw from all the yelling, her cheeks redder then a pickled beet. She calmed down some before continuing. "How many times has Gale snuck into Kay's room and raped her? Huh? Because that's what it is, Maria, rape. Plain and simple. How many times has... has... has... shit!" She came to a sudden realization. "How many times has Gale snuck into _Sage's_ room and raped her?! HOW MANY TIMES?!"

"_I WOULD NEVER TEACH THAT TO GALE, AND YOU KNOW THAT!_" Maria shouted back.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know what to believe outta you anymore. You may not have _taught_ Gale that, but I'll be damned if kids learn more through sight, then with words."

"No one saw me, Natalya!"

"_OF COURSE NO ONE SAW YOU! OF COURSE NO ONE FUCKING SAW YOU, MARIA! THAT'S WHY YOU DID IT A NIGHT! BECAUSE NO ONE _CAN_ SEE YOU! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, I'M NOT STUPID!_" Natalya continued to shout, despite her raw throat. A silence befell them. Finally, spent and yelled-out, Natalya stood and walked to the door.

She opened it with a hard kick, which shattered the hinges and broke the frame. Standing in the middle of the room was a very aghast Serras, Wolfblitzer and Safiria. Ignoring their glares, Natalya moved to the table in the center, sat, and put her head in her arms, tears escaping.

"Uh... Natalya..." Wolfblitzer started, hovering his hand over her shoulder.

"DONT! Touch me, Wolfblitzer! Don't FUCKING touch me!" She barked, slapping his had away with a quick motion from her left arm. Wolfblitzer recoiled, but was unhindered.

"Look, Natalya. Listen to me. Don't. I really don't care about that. But what I do care about, is you. I can see there's some animosity between Maria and you..."

"It would please me very much, if I never had to hear that name again, thank you..." Natalya responded.

"But you have to find some way over it, or we'll never survive this Gai'lin shit." Wolfblitzer continued, sitting on the far edge of the bench as he could.

"She..." Natalya started.

"I don't care what she did, Natalya! I don't! Really. I could care less." Wolfblitzer stopped her with a wave of his hand. "The important thing is, she did something you didn't like. It happens all the time. I've done terrible things in my life. Terrible! Ninety percent of them were stupidly terrible. But you know what, I made up for them as best as I could. Yea, I've hurt some of my friends. Some, badly. And when I come clean, yea, they're mad. But we find away around the anger. I'll be honest. I've told Serras this already, and she was pretty understanding. I've seen the pair of you naked. I'll admit, I saw you in the shower together." Natalya started to say something, but Wolfblitzer stopped her again with a wave of his hand. "Yes, I understand whatever Maria did to you was probably three thousand times worse then that, but that's not the point. The point is, if I had not come clean with Serras, she'd probably would have beaten the living gastric juices outta me by now, and made a Wolfblitzer Skin Rug outta my hide. I'll admit, she was stark pissed when I first confessed. She had her fingers around my neck and everything. But you know what, we talked it out."

"Wolfblitzer, you don't understand! I can't just _talk_ this out. It doesn't work like that! I don't live in your perfect little fucking world, Wolfblitzer. What Maria did to me..." She saw him trying to stop her. "Can it and let me finish!" She barked. He nodded and allowed. "What that... woman did to me is beyond forgivness! It's sinful!"

"Oh, yea, and you with Lizzie that one time wasn't?" Wolfblitzer grinned.

"That. Was. Consensual!" She growled through her teeth. "She..."

"I don't want to know!" Wolfblitzer interrupted her once more. "I don't give a fuck what she did. She could..." He struggled for the right words. "Gotten you punch drunk and stole your money, then left you tied to the Oak outside Yulgar's stark naked with a sign around your neck reading 'I want to be raped'! She could for all I know, but I don't care! That's not the issue. Contrary to some religions in this world, not everything has to be solved through violence. Now. I won't help you. But I will offer you this little piece of advice. Maria can't hide her emotions. We all know that. It's easy to tell when she lies. I want you to stand up. Turn around, and march your pretty ass back in there, look your sister in the eyes, and tell me if she's not as hurt about this as you are. Moreso."

"Maria..."

"You don't understand, do you?" Wolfblitzer cut her off again. "You're upset with her, because of whatever she did. She's depressed, possible manically, that she's _loosing you_! She's _loosing_ her sister to some... probably stupid mistake she made who knows how long ago! You are lucky! You have a sister! You know your sister! I never even knew my brother! He died when I was four for god's sake. You have someone you can speak with! Someone you can confide in! You have the best friend anyone could ask for. Family. Ask any Guardian. How many of them have family like you? Sure, Rayne has Lizzie, but they're just good friends. Sure, Trip has Aria, but Aria's a non-com. She's about as useful in a fight as a toothpick." He turned to Serras quickly. "Don't tell her I said that." He turned back to Natalya. "They're just good friends! Artix! Look at Captain Krieger! He's got no one. Yea, sure, Galanoth, maybe. But Galanoth's too damn busy chasing Dragons by the moon to get a coheisive word outta him. The point here is, Maria and you are sisters! Blood relatives. You loose her, you loose the best thing anyone could ever hope for. Don't loose her, Natalya. For your sake, and hers, don't loose your sister." Wolfblitzer finished. Natalya sat on the bench momentarily before standing. "There you go. Now. Head out." Natalya inhaled and walked back through the door.

"Wow, Wolfblitzer. That was some pretty moving speechcraft there. For the record, when again, did you see us in the shower?" Serras smiled cruely.

"Oh, never. I just made that up to get my point across. I think it worked."

"Hum..." Serras responded. "Thought so."

-Library-

(Author's Note: Now, I know this is kind of unlike me, but I feel I must make this clear. The following bit starts after Natalya walks away from Maria. So, the last spoken line would be: 'Of course no one saw you. Of course not one fucking saw you. That's why you did it at night, because no one can see you. What the hell do you take me for, I'm not stupid.' Thank you.)

Maria watched Natalya storm away, disappearing behind a bookshelf. She hung her head and cried, the blood flowing from her eyes mingling with her bitter, salty tears.

"Well, well, well..." She heard a voice growl. "How about that. Didn't take too well to that little fib, now did she?"

"You bastard! You fucking bastard! You give me back my fucking body right now!" The real Maria growled. The Gai'lin, which was residing inside her head, laughed.

"Sorry, lass. Can't do that. You see, my job here is to spread a little... terror and discord." The Gai'lin was a cruel creature, manipulating even Temporal Laws to get his way. Manipulating, not breaking. Truth be told, Maria never sodomized Natalya physically. She might have, once or twice, undressed her with her mind, but that was long before Maria knew who Natalya was. The Gai'lin knew this, took that information, and crafted it. He bent it into a fabrication of what it was. But, since it was somewhat true, it wasn't really a lie, so the Gai'lin could speak it. Not only did the Gai'lin have control over her body, but her face, emotions, and voice as well.

"Give it back now! I want my fucking body back now, god damnit!"

"And let you run your mouth off to your dear sister? Psh. Yea, right. Fuck that. I may be old, but I'm not stupid. Well, not like she'll believe your pathetic truth... Truth is so overrated these days. Anyways... oh, would you look at the time... it's been half an hour already! Fancy that. Your friends better hurry, or they're won't be anyone left on Lore TO save... Peh..." he chuckled slightly. Maria felt a sweatdrop roll down the back of her neck.

"Kusho..." She swore, looking around for some kind of weapon.

"Don't waste your strength, dear girl. You'll need it for later. The Soul Reap. Fun times, those are. You know..." The Gai'lin trailed off. "Your sister left you. You've got nothing left. Except, of course, moi. I can be a... powerful ally. A friend, perhaps. All you must do is embrace me, and I'll show you true power."

"Power? Is that what you think I want? You can't bribe me with power! I know what you want, demon! It's what all you devils want! The only thing you want is my soul! Well guess what! That's one thing you'll never take." There came a pause, followed by a course, deep, horrifying laugh.

"Soul? You think this is about your _soul_?" He laughed again. "Don't make me laugh! I could subdue your soul in moments. But whats the fun in that? What the point of having a body as a vessal if it can't offer a little... diversity. Oh, yes dear. I could easily take over you completely. Cause you to submit fully to my will, but that makes everything so mundane... so practical. I like variety! Color! Having you concious to everything makes it that much more amusing. Besides. It will be fun watching you, dear Maria, in a fit of rejected anger, slaughter all of your 'friends'. It will be quick. Like shattering a toothpick! Lore has become so... mundane recently. Sure, constant conflict, but what's conflict without strife? What's combat without meaning? It's like reading a violent book, with no plot... what's the point..." He exhaled. "Anyways, enough about that. Let me lay it out for you, Maria. You see, I wasn't exactly telling the truth about that whole 'Lore Reborn' thing earlier. You see, Sae'sin, my sister, can only completely re-create Lore nine times. If I destroy it nine times, then Sae'sin is unable to re-create it. Essentially, you all die, and for good. Oh, I know what you're thinking. Don't you worry about me. I'll find other sustinance. I always do. But you will no longer exist, except as a bad memory! Hehehe. Wasteful, really. The women on Lore certainly are... more full then last time. Hehe." The Gai'lin may be an Ethereal Creature, but he was a male nonetheless. "I will admit. I was very surprised when I discovered that the strongest two power readings on Lore were from women. Very... pleasantly surprised. It's a first, and I'm always willing for a first."

"Has anyone ever told you, that you talk way too much?" Maria muttered.

"Often. But I like monologuing. It makes me feel... more superior then I already am. But enough about me, let's talk about you. Now, under the usual standards, you would be re-created as some... divine figure, or figure of supreme power in the new Lore, much like my last Avatar, Nautica. He always said he wanted to see the depths of Lore. He just never specified how." A cruel, sardonic laugh escaped.

"Nautica... the Paxian Nautica?"

"Preceptive. Yes, the one and the same. He was the hardest yet to convince... however, I digress. We must continue. Now... how would you like to rule Lore? A queen, perhaps?" There was a pause. "Or perhaps rule a democratic system of governing where the government is split in half, half of the population being intelligent, do-the-right-thing-now kind of people and the rest complete dumbasses?" Another pause. "Or perhaps something bigger?"

"I thought this was it? After you destroy Lore this time, there is no remaking it." Maria muttered. The Gai'lin laughed.

"Ah, yes. I said Sae'sin could not remake Lore. I can. In my own, perfect image, of course."

"Of course..." Maria muttered rather rasply and rather grimly.

"Maria!" Natalya's voice came.

"I-" Maria tried to speak, but the Gai'lin silenced her.

"And now, for the fun part!" The Devourer spoke in her head. He made a sound of clearing its throat. "What the hell do you want?!" Maria's voice sounded, without Maria speaking. Natalya came round the corner with a dread stare. The Gai'lin just smiled.

"Look at me." Natalya spoke, grabbing the sides of Maria's face. "Tell me. Are you sorry for what you did?"

"That's not me!" Maria shouted in vein, her voice reaching no ears except her own.

"Of course, Natalya... of course... but we can't change the past..." A odd expression crossed Natalya's face.

"What's the Mage of Despair's real name?" Natalya asked.

"What?" The Gai'lin asked in Maria's tone.

"What is her name?" Maria got what Natalya was doing. She began to think of a name.

"Erin Ten'oh." The Gai'lin answered.

"Get out of my sister, you bastard!" Natalya shouted, pulling the Gai'lin into a headlock. "Serras! Wolfblitzer! Safiria! I need some help."

"You tricked me!" The Gai'lin growled to Maria.

"Just because we're room mates, doesn't mean I have to fuckin' like your ass!" Maria retorted.

"Just you wait! I was hoping to save your delicate little sister for dessert! But I guess she's just been moved up to the hours d'oeuvre!" The Gai'lin shouted.


	9. Walls of the Mind Part One

Author's Note: This chapter begins right as the rest of Artix's attack force is teleported away. Oh, and to Flame, I'm making Felix's history up as I go along. If some thing's wrong... eh... I suppose the only thing I can really say in that event is TS. . Another note. The talking sword and armor are derived from two sources. The first source is Neverwinter Nights: Hoards of the Underdark, you may know him better as Enserric the Longsword. The second source is the movie "The Shadow", more specifically, the living knife. As a side note, that thing creeped the living fuck outta me for three years after I saw the movie... Anyways, continuing.

Lost in the Walls of the Mind, Part One

Eight

-Felix's Story-

The Gai'lin's accuracy was spot on. Felix felt herself being pulled away from the library she once stood. It felt as though she was being pulled through walls and other hard objects. (Don't ask how she knew how being pulled through a wall felt. You'll only confuse yourself.) She was standing in a small square room with no visible escapes. The only things available was a sword and a set of armor, constructed from what looked like, glass. A voice spoke into her head.

"The greatest aspects a warrior can hope to have is the ability to adapt to any given situation. Thus, I put you, warrior, in this room. The armor and sword adjacent to you, is yours. Pick it up and wear it. And do try to keep it in good condition." The voice died. Felix looked herself over. It appears during her teleportation, everything had been stripped from her body. _Everything_.

"Nyaaa..." She groaned, shivering against the cold. "Could you have at least left me with some shoes?" She asked quietly. She moved to the armor and put it on as quickly as possible. As soon as everything was on, the cold deserted her. "Better..." She grasped the sword on the floor and swung it around a bit. It was light. Lighter then even some of the weapons Yulgar made. As for what it was made of, she didn't know, but it was forged black as night. The moment she grabbed it, something reached out and took her hand. The sword was alive!

"This, is the Nightmare Edge. A sword forged from only the worst nightmares from the blackest hearts on Lore. It will cut anything, and cannot leave your hands. For who can escape their own nightmares?" The voice called again. It continued as Felix struggled to get the sword off her hand. "The armor you wear is called the Vampire's Embrace. The Nightmare Edge and Vampire's Embrace work as one cohesive unit. The Vampire's Embrace is a living entity, and needs a sacrifice to live. You, Cat Demon, are that sacrifice. However, the Vampire's Embrace will not kill you. Yet. It shall continually drink your blood, precisely a liter every ten minutes. But fear not. All is not lost. As I have said, the Nightmare Edge works with the Vampire's Embrace. The Nightmare Edge shall steal the life blood of your opponents, and feed it directly to you. Thus, balancing the negative effects of the Vampire's Embrace." The voice paused. "Now that you know what you should, allow me to show you the exit." The outline of a door appeared on one wall, and the wall dissolved showing a hallway. "Follow the maze, little Cat Demon. Find your way through, and you may have the honor of fighting me atop the Great Library." The voice died for the second, and final time. Felix peaked out the door and scanned the area. So far, nothing. The moment she stepped out, she felt two sharp pricks in her neck.

"NYA!" She shouted, more surprised then hurt. She grabbed the collar of the armor with her free hand and tried to see what hit her. She felt two small little dowels extending from the armor into her neck. Something flowed over the sharp dowels... She retracted her hand and examined what was on it. Blood. _Her_ blood. The voice wasn't kidding. She could feel herself getting weaker. "I'm not gonna enjoy this... nope, nope. Not one bit..." She muttered to herself, continuing down the hall.

The corridor was bare. Nothing except a rather dull shade of gray paint on the wall. She couldn't exactly place her finger on it, but she seemed to recognize this place... something about it rang familiar. Her eyes darted from one wall to the other, wholly aware of what danger could lie just a few feet away, even one step down the hall.

But it wasn't danger that met her at the end of that shrill corridor, but a sight from her past.

"Felix!" A voice shouted behind her. She spun around and the corridor walls vanished, giving away to a snow covered field with a tall school house in the background. The voice came from a young boy who was running towards her with arms out stretched. She recognized this boy. He, like her, had cat ears and stripes on his skin. Another Cat Demon. She smiled at this friendly sight. This was a boy she had not seen since she left her hometown of Angart.

"Joshy?!" She shouted, completely not expecting to see him, expecially not after fifteen years.

"Felix!" Joshy shouted, grabbing her waist in a hug. She looked down at him and rubbed her eyes, trying to convince herself Joshy was really here... even though...

"Joshy... how..." She stammered.

"Come on, Felix! Mrs. Despair's gonna be mad if we don't get ta class now!" Joshy started pulling on Felix's Cuirass tails, urging her to follow her. _Despair_! That's where she had remembered Maria when she first met! Maria's mother was her old school teacher. Felix let herself be pulled towards the school house by Joshy. But, as she drew closer to the school house, Joshy grew taller, and his grip migrated upwards, until he finally had his arm around her neck. The school building also changed, morphing into a deeper and deeper state of dis-repair.

"Wow..." Josh muttered, looking over the raggid building. "How long has it been since we've been back here?"

"Five years..." Felix found herself muttering. Josh pulled her closer.

"Did you hear?" Josh continued, trying to keep the snow from Felix's shoulder. "Our teacher, old Mrs. Xenobia died a couple years back."

"No!" Felix breathed. She wasn't surprised, this was old news. Josh had told her that just before he... just before he died. She didn't know why this took her by surprise. She knew Xenobia Despair had died years ago, but something made her surprised again.

"Yea. Tragic accident, I heard. Did you know she had kids?"

"Really?"

"Yea. Maria and Natalya. Ravishingly beautiful, I've heard." He smiled, but then rebutted. "But, not half as beautiful as you, my Snow Goddess." He smiled. Felix felt her heart jump. This was where they shared their first kiss together, over looking the old school house. Josh leaned in and pulled Felix towards her. Something sent a shiver down her spine. Felix's eyes were closed, as they had been when they first kissed. Something forced her to open them. Standing before her, pulling her closer, was not the Josh she knew. It was a horrible deformation of a creature. It's teeth were twice as long as steak knives, and acid poured from it's jaws. It's eyes were vomit green, and it cried a horrible, shrill of a scream. Letting out a scream of her own, Felix wrenched Nightmare Edge up and drove it into the creature's neck and sliced down his chest. The creature let her drop and, in fear, she covered her eyes. When she heard the body fall over, she opened them.

Lying in the snow, a fine layer of the crystallized water on his jacket, coating the fresh chest wound, was Josh. He was lying in the snow, bleeding from his neck and torso. His face said it all. Why? It was exactly as she had remembered him looking all those years ago when she found him dead. The wounds matched. Had she killed him? Did the only man she ever love, die by her own hands? She collapsed to her knees and looked at Josh in the eyes. His beautiful green eyes were bastardized by a white glaze over them. Death's mark. She threw herself onto Josh's torso and began crying. The Nightmare Edge, however, had a different plan in mind. The blade, sensing blood, drove itself into Josh's torso, point first.

"No! No stop it! Leave him alone! Stop it, I tell you!"

"Why stop?" A growl echoed in her head... or at least, she thought it was in her head. "Blood is always the best, when the one who shed it, cared most for the previous owner." A shrill laught permiated the cold.

"Who are you?" Felix asked, shaking.

"_WHAT_ am I, you mean?" Felix nodded. "Look in your hand, silly girl!" The voice continued. Felix looked at her right hand. In the hilt of the Nightmare Edge, there was a face. She had noticed it earlier, but thought nothing of it. The face was now, quite alive, and staring at her. "BOO!" It shouted when she saw it. Felix reacted and screamed, jumping back. The sword laughed. "Ah, that never gets old! Say... Is your name Felix, little Cat Demon?" The sword asked, still drinking the victim's blood.

"Uh... uh huh..." Felix muttered. The sword's shadowy lips curled into a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Felix. I'm Nightmare Edge. Have you met my brother yet?"

"B... brother? I don't see anyone else..." There came another pair of pricks on her neck. "NYA! Hey! It's only been six minutes!"

"It's rude to speak ill of the unseen." Another voice growled, this one from behind her.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Felix shouted, spinning around, holding Nightmare Edge at the ready. Another laugh from behind her.

"She can't see you, dear brother." Nightmare Edge muttered. The second voice continued to talk, this time, the voice coming from below her. Felix looked down.

"SURPRISE!" The second voice shouted, a face appearing on the top of Felix's left gauntlet.

"V..." Felix started. "Vampire's Embrace, I take it?" She swallowed hard. The face on her gauntlet smiled.

"Smart girl. Yes, Vampire's Embrace is my name. But, enough with the introductions, you've got four minutes before I stick you again. I do love the taste of Cat Demon blood..."

"You and me both, bro. You and me both." Nightmare Edge replied. Felix felt stronger, probably from the blood Nightmare Edge had drained.

"What is this place?" Felix asked. Both the sword and the armor laughed in unison.

"Come now! I know you're a Cat Demon, but even YOU should be able to recognize your own past! Your own memories!" Felix looked around to confirm what Vampire's Embrace was saying, was true. Yes, she did recognize the school yard, but any idiot who knew her would know what that place looked like. Josh, however... she never told anyone about him. Or how he died.

"Door." Nightmare Edge spoke. The sword jerked in her hand. "That way." Felix followed where the sword pointed, and entered a door standing in the middle of the field. She took one last fleeting glimpse at Josh's corpse before continuing.

This next room she had entered was the same as the last one. A long, gray, bland corridor. As she progressed, the walls began to dissolve, giving to dust. She held onto Nightmare Edge tight, even though she couldn't drop him.

"Some grip you've got, Cat Demon." Nightmare Edge muttered. The only thing left of the corridor now was the floor she walked. Soon, a huge portal sprung from the carpeted floor and opened before her, red swirls swimming inside.

"Enter." A grim voice stretched out, sounding as ominous as possible, Felix shuddered and moved in. There came the sound of wind rushing past Felix's ear, pierced by the sharp "NYA!" Of Felix getting pricked once more, another liter of blood sapping from her body. She rubbed her neck.

"Ya know, that really hurts..." Felix muttered.

"Terribly sorry, I can't help it. You smell so good..." Vampire's Embrace smiled. Felix groaned and came to view the beautiful outskirts of Battleon. Her hometown now.

"Uh oh..." Nightmare Edge groaned. "I've seen this dozens of times. The "Could Have" Trial. Be prepared." Felix, perplexed, continued on. She began walking the streets.

"Hello! Anyone!" Felix shouted, walking to Yulgar's Inn door. On the porticus, there hung a sign which read "Closed for The Culling". Felix tore the note off the door and examined it. "The Culling?" The Cat Demon asked, tossing the note down. She heard a door open. She looked towards Aria's shop and saw a woman around mid twenties peering from the door. "Hello?! Can you help me?" Felix shouted. Almost as if Felix was Carnax himself, the woman gaped and ducked into her home. "Hey! Ma'am! Come on, you've gotta help me!" Felix ran to her door and banged on it.

"I... I can't help you!" The woman shouted. Her voice was similar to Aria's but older. Maybe this was Aria... "No one can help you! Go away, or you'll draw them to me! Please, for the love of our God Akriloth, get away from my store!" She shouted. Felix, more stunned then mad, backed away from the door. "Thank you... god have mercy on you..." The woman finished. Felix looked about. Something about Battleon's skyline seemed awkward. She scanned it once more. Warlic's store, Yulgar's... Aria's... It hit her.

"Ma'am!" She called once more into Aria's shop, or at least it might have been Aria's.

"Please! I don't want to help you! I don't want to die!"

"Just answer one question!" Felix shouted in response. There came a pause, then a soft.

"Make it quick."

"What happened to the Guardian Tower?" Felix asked.

"The... Tower... Oh, god! It was horrible! Makkisar came and... DrakZombies everywhere! They never stood a chance!" The ground began to tremble. "Oh, Jesus! They're coming! Please! Run, do what ever, just don't talk to me any more! I don't want to die!" Felix looked around, looking for whatever made that awful racket. On the northern horizen, she saw a cloud of dust rising. As it drew closer, she could see what it was. An entire army of deformed, zombified Drakel. Most of their body was bone, however, select bits of flesh still clung for dear life onto the off-white bones. Even though she had never seen one, she could tell from Maria's description of them, that these were the demons Maria fought in Ren T'kak.

"All at once..." Felix muttered, taking a battle stance. She held Nightmare Edge in her hand off to the side. "Or one at a time..." She continued as the DrakZombies closed in. As they closed within mere seconds of overwhelming her, she pounced into the group, shouting: "MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME!" She landed in the group and instantly began hacking and slashing at everything that moved. The horde of Zombies stopped their forward advance and tried to overwhelm Felix with numbers. Felix's core advantage she had over the Zombies was agility. She out classed them in sheer speed and dodge capability. Each attempted strike the Zombies made with their great tentacle of an arm was either dodged completely, or parried. Out of the corner of her eye, Felix witnessed three of the Zombies trying to knock down the door of the woman who had helped her. The Cat Demon reacted and pushed through the mass of them, trying to reach those three. The woman's screams could be heard from inside. Finally, before Felix could reach the door, the wood barrier exploded inwards, and the three Zombies grabbed the poor girl. Felix couldn't bare to see what happened.

"No! Please, Oh god, no!" The woman shouted. One Zombie raised its claw up and slashed at her across the stomach, spilling her intestines. Another jammed a claw into the woman's chest and twisted. Her face turned to shock as the DrakZombie tore her still-beating heart from her chest. "J...Jesus..." She muttered, watching the Zombie shred her heart into small slivers. Another Zombie took hold of her arm and twisted, popping her arm off at her shoulder like a chicken wing. It discarded the severed limb and began working on her other arm. The third Zombie dug both claws into the gap in her chest, pulled her sternum out, discarded it, and butterflied her ribs. Meaning, it took hold of the two sides of her ribcage and pulled, bowing the bones out away from her chest. Felix couldn't even begin to fathom how painful that must have been. The woman's screams didn't do justice to the pain. Intermixed with her cries, she managed to cry out "Oh god! Please! Kill me!" The first Zombie, which had torn her heart out, bent over and began tearing her intestinal track out and scattering it around on the floor. Her eyes rolled into the back of her skull. Death, had finally come to take the poor, young girl away from all the agony.

"To your left!" Vampire's Embrace shouted, breaking Felix's concentration from the girl's cries of agony and begs for mercy, allowing her to hack one of them down the middle.

"To your right, this time!" Nightmare Edge shouted, giving Felix plenty of warning, allowing her to cut another zombie.

"Why are you guys helping me?" Felix asked jumping over a falling DrakZombie. Nightmare Edge just 'meh'd and shouted 'left again'.

"Let's just say we're trapped here, just like you. You see, we were the Gai'lin's first victims, our souls trapped and bound within these forms. We want out just as much as you behind you. Do." Vampire's Embrace muttered. Felix spun Nightmare Edge around and back-stabbed a Zombie.

"Please, refrain from doing that... It's dizzying..." The sword complained.

"Sorry..." Felix jumped over the thinning line of Zombies and destroyed the three which had brought the young girl's life to such a tragic, agonizing end.

After ten minutes of fighting, the last of the DrakZombies finally fell to the ground, split in six pieces. Felix stabbed her sword into one.

"Blegh! Rancid. But, I shouldn't complain. It's food."

"You said something about 'Could Have'. What's 'Could Have'?" Felix asked, looking at Nightmare Edge.

"In case you haven't picked up on it, the Gai'lin chooses his champion, the person who will fight him to the death. He does this by taking the worthy people and setting them against three tests, the "Has Been" test, the "Could Have" test, and the "Will Be" test."

"Maybe we should explain each in turn." Vampire's Embrace muttered.

"Right." Nightmare Edge replied. "The "Has Been" test is the first. The contestant is pitted against his or her most traumatizing memory. For example, yours was the death of your boyfriend. For everyone, the "Has Been" is different."

"Right." Vampire's Embrace picked up. "The "Could Have" is a speculative look on what could have been Lore's fate, should certain mitigating circumstances not been met. For example, I imagine something you did averted an overwhelming number of Super Killer Hyper Lizard Space Zombies from spreading they're death grip across Lore."

"Right." Nightmare Edge picked up once more. "And the "Will Be" test is the most dangerous of the three. The contestant is pitted against the only great Certain in their future."

"And that is?" Felix questioned. The face on Nightmare Edge scrunched up to a grin.

"Dunno. I died on the "Could Have" test. So has everyone else who picked me up. Save for you, of course."

"And you? How far did you get?" Felix asked Vampire's Embrace.

"End of the first test. Just far enough into the second to see what it was. I know, I'm pathetic, silence." Vampire's Embrace muttered, it's 'eyes' narrowing.

"You have fought well, Cat Demon, and have gained the honor of advancing. Enter, and prepare." The Gai'lin's voice sounded in Felix's head. The Cat Demon inhaled and looked at the door. It was a rather creepy door with blood dripping from the top seam. She let her breath out and advanced, the door opening to a torrent of blood.

When Felix recovered, she found herself lying on something squishy.

"You okay?" Nightmare Edge questioned.

"Fine. You?" Vampire's Embrace responded.

"Yea, I'm good. How are you, Felix?" The sword sounded again.

"Nyaaaaaa..." She muttered, dizzy and disoriented from the fall.

"She's okay!" The sword grinned. Felix sat up and put her hand down to her side. She felt something soft under her hand. When she looked, she saw that she was sitting on the very top of a pile of shredded, dismembered corpses. Screaming, she flung herself from the pile and tried frantically to wipe the blood from her.

"Sticky! Sticky! Gross! Gross! Get it off! Get it off! Getitoffgetitoff!" She hollared.

"Whoa, whoa! It's on me too, ya know! Calm down!" Vampire's Embrace responded. Felix, after several minutes of trying to wipe the blood off, finally calmed down. "There you go, oh, by the way." The armor stuck her in the neck again.

"NYA!" Felix shouted, jumping with surprise. "WILL YOU STOP THAT?!"

"Sorry. Can't stop."

"About time, Felix." A female voice growled from the darkness.

"Who's there?!" The Cat Demon shouted, spinning around with Nightmare Edge at a ready. "Show yourself!" She began jumping around, turning to face every corner of the encroaching darkness. The voice laughed.

"Surly you can tell when you see YOURSELF!" The lights clicked on and Felix found herself in the Guardian Arena, bodies piled in the center. Standing in one corner was a mirror image of herself, covered head to toe in blood and entrails. She knew it was her, but the mirror was different. Felix had short little nails, this behemoth had huge claws the size of daggers. Her teeth were long and pointed. Her eyes, not the usual cute yellow she was used to, were know blood red and glowing a soft red light.

Felix couldn't help but scream. The sight was just that much horrifying, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I scare you?" The woman muttered, then laughed. "Please. Don't tell me you look at yourself in the mirror every morning and cry out if horror. You see... only what you are."

"You are a monster! I...I...I can't be _you_!"

"You're not me! That's the point! I... however, am you. What you have always meant to become. What you always have been." There came a pause. "What you will be."

"That's impossible!"

"Oh is it?" Dark Felix muttered, crossing her arms. "Then tell me! How is it you survived the horrifying massacre of your home town? Luck? Coincidence? No. Predestination. You have always meant to face the Gai'lin in one-on-one combat, and how do you expect to do that? As you are? No. You'll be torn asunder. Only by embracing what you always have been, will you succeed."

"NO! I don't have to become a demon to defeat one! I'm stronger then you, stronger then the Gai'lin! I'll show you! I'm not all looks and laughs! I'LL SHOW ALL OF YOU!" She struck without thinking. Leaping into the air, bellowing like some Norse god, she drove Nightmare Edge into Dark Felix's chest, the blade piercing her heart. Dark Felix collapsed without a sound. As soon as Felix's vision returned, she looked at the corpse. It had switched to her visage. Lying bleeding and naked on the floor. The sight was insane.

"The others are dust! You alone, Cat Demon, remain! You have been given the honor to face me in combat. But for now. Advance, and baptize yourself in my Trial of Blood!" The Gai'lin sounded off again in her head, in a rather amused voice. The arena faded and the same room she had started in reappeared.

"I suddenly don't feel an urge to stick you every ten minutes..." Vampire's Embrace muttered.

"Waa!" Nightmare Edge called, falling from Felix's grasp. "Pick me up, damnit!" The sword swore. Felix obliged. Another door opened leading to an arena style room, where twelve other gates were opening. Felix stepped out and readied her sword.


	10. Walls of the Mind Part Two

Author's Note: If you've not guessed by now, this chapter, like the two previous, take place just as Artix's assault team is teleported away. Enjoy. Also, I would like to announce the winner of the "Find the Easter Egg" Competition: Orta Dragoon. She wins. If I get anything about Azel wrong, Orta, Uh... TSDWI. The idea for this chapter came from two sources. The first and most prevelant is the quest called "Through the Nightmare, Darkly" in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. More specifically, the Trial of Perception from that quest. And the second, less recognizable source is the old NES Game, Shadowgate. Torches burning out, fun fun. Oh, and sorry about the tentacle reference. I couldn't help myself.

Lost in the Walls of the Mind, Part Three

Nine

-Azel's Story-

First day on the job, and already hurting. When Artix said that the first few weeks would be the hardest, she didn't exactly know he meant the _ground_ would be the hardest. She pushed herself to her a standing position.

"Oh, sonuvabitch..." She muttered, noticing her clothes were gone. Her eyes narrowed as she looked about the room. Her eyes fell on a rather large oval sitting in the corner. Azel advanced and touched it. The moment she did, the oval, which she realized was an egg, shattered into a thousand pieces, and in it's wake stood a very cute Fire Dragon. "Oh, hello."

"The greatest aspect of a Tamer is the ability to lay your trust within your partner-at-arms!" The Gai'lin's voice chanted in her head. "To be able to place your life in their hands, and remain alive. This Fire Dragon, is named Akriloth. His father perished by the hands of the Guardians years ago. May Akriloth guide you through these trials!" The voice died. The tiny dragon, small enough to fit in Azel's palm, jumped onto her shoulder and cuddled up next to her, purring.

"Great. I've got a big baby Dragon..." she muttered, shivering. "And no freakin' clothes..." Azel sighed and braced herself against the wind. She looked about in the six by six room she was in and tried to find a door. As she pressed a hand against a wall, the entire room collapsed around her. As she looked about, she saw several small, crystalline slivers appear and glow a soft red. It wasn't enough to light the pitch-black area, but it was a soft requime. Standing at the center of a ring of those crystal lights was an open chest. Her eyes steadily adjusting to the low light, she noticed three torches inside. She picked up the three and her she tried casting a small fire spell. The spell just fizzled and was extinguished. She swore loudly.

"Mother fucking piecea..." She tried once more, the spell fizziling again. She sighed a heavy sigh of defeat.

"Mraw..." Baby Akriloth cooed, then sneezed. A jet of flames billowing from his nose. He began charging for another sneeze, and in anticipation, Azel put a torch in front of his nose. Sure enough, he sneezed, the small jet of flames just enough to catch the oil-soaked rag on fire. Light filled the 'room'.

The room Azel was in, wasn't really a room at all. It was more like a void space. A place of no material value. Nothing physical. No ground, no sky, all was black, all was one. The only think she saw was a stone path which lead off into nothing.

"Thanks, buddy." Azel petted the Dragon on its head. It purred again, this time at the attention. She turned her head to the stone path and, being the only safe place to walk, advanced. As she moved, stones continually moved from behind her to in front of her. Almost like the walk was moving itself. It moved fast, but slow enough where there was always three stones behind and before her.

"Darkness. Darkness has but one friend, the night. And the night has but one weakness. The light." The Gai'lin sounded in her head once more. "Darkness has always lost it's fight with the light. Light is too powerful for the Darkness to overcome. Except here. Here, where Darkness reigns supreme. Here, where light has no meaning... no right to exist!" As the words 'exist' exited the Gai'lin's mouth, a icy blast rushed past Azel's head and extinguished the torch, expelling it from her hand, into the dark chasm below. Thankfully, Azel kept a hold of the other two. The Gai'lin laughed darkly. "Better keep those last two little, Little Azel. You wouldn't want to fumble around in THIS Darkness." Another laugh. Azel muttered a series of curses and drew the other torch up. Akriloth spit a jet of flames out and caught the rag. Again, the stones began to move as she walked.

The blast that had extinguished the first torch, it was a cold of a different measure. Unlike the all-over cold she felt now, more likely caused by her lack-of-clothing then the ambient temperature in the room, that blast was more concentrated. More... focused. She remembered the feeling just before it struck.

"So far, so good, little Mortal. Keep those torches burning, and you'll make it." There, a sudden shift in the air temperature. She had to time it...

The gust of wind came again, and knocked the torch out of her hand.

"Mother fucker!" She shouted as she watched the still-burning torch tumble and fall endlessly into the blackness. Her voice echoed and then fell silent. The Gai'lin laughed again.

"Three strikes and you're out, Mortal. Three strikes..." Azel drew the last torch up before Akriloth, who lit it. Something caught her senses... a smell. She knew that the smell was some kind of gas, Aptinol, by her best guess. Shaking that useless thought out of her head, she pressed on, determined to get the timing right on this pass. She had to. The walk continued to reshuffle itself to give Azel new walking spaces. "Ever feel like you're walking, you just keep walking... but you're not going anywhere?" The Gai'lin taunted. There, the temperature dropped again. Before Azel could react, the gust knocked the torch out of her hand once more. Darkness had finally claimed the Dragonmancer. But that same stench of Aptinol was in the air. A smile painted itself on her face, unseen in the low-light.

"Akriloth?" She smiled. The dragon, sensing what her plan was, snorted a short jet of flames across the path the gust of wind came. Light lava, the trail of ionized Aptinol caught on fire, engulfing everything in a reddish orange glow. The new moon, had suddenly become the noon time sun. Azel, smiling like a millionaire, continued her procession down the moving walkway, her destination clear.

"Astonishing!" The Gai'lin breathed. "Really! I'm impressed. Had an experience with Aptinol in your life, have you? Very good. You pass this test. But don't think I have only one in store for you!" The billowing flames had vanished, and Azel found herself in a bland, pure white corridor. No doors, no nothing. Just ten paintings on the wall, five on each size. "Let's test that pretty mind of yours, shall we? One of these paintings, is fake. Burning it will produce the exit. However, burning any of the nine real ones, will send the ceiling crashing down, right on top of your pretty skull. Choose wisely." The Gai'lin spoke, then was gone.

Azel paced up and down the two walls, studying the paintings. This would be a good place to explain exactly what was painted onto the paintings. You see, the Gai'lin has a very sick sense of humor. He delights, as you have no doubt seen already, in the torment of mortals. These painting reflected that. The paintings were of a woman, lying on a bed. Her face was screwed up into an expression of pain and agony, which is explained by the mass of tentacles piercing into every imaginable orifice of her body. The image was enough to chill even an iceberg. As far as Azel could guess, they were exactly the same. They had the same frame, the were perfectly aligned with one another, and they were perfectly perpendicular to each other as well.

The phrase "Think Outside the Box", comes to mind. Azel had to strain herself to think what these had in common. Something caught her attention. She looked closer at one of the paintings. Mixed in with the mass of tentacles was a face... a familiar one. She got real close, her nose touching the canvass, and saw that the face was Wolfblitzer. He had no emotion to his face, it was just his face. She moved to the next and scanned it. In about the same place as Wolfblitzer's face was in the last, there was Orta's. Cracking a smile, she moved down, seeing Crystal Lion's visage in the third. Soon, she had scanned all the paintings. They all had a face in them, but this didn't help. She still couldn't decide which was the fake. That's when the only other difference shown through. On the painting that contained Natalya's face, she saw a signature, probably the author.

"Akriloth. Toast this one." She commanded. The little dragon pipped and complied, scorching the painting. Azel paused, expecting the roof to collapse.

"Fantastic. You no doubt realize that the there is no true 'fake' painting. Art, in itself, is a fake. Art reflects what we know, what we feel. True mastery of a given area, is the ability to form something from nothing. The truth is... they all would open the door. But it was with your objective eye that you could see this. Advance, Azel." The Gai'lin spoke. The door on one wall opened, allowing her entrance. Inhaling deeply, the Dragonmancer advanced to the next room.

This room was completely bare. Only white walls, a white ceiling, and a white carpet. The sheer amount of white hurt Azel's eyes.

"Now, let's give you your final exam, shall we. Sacrifices must be made. We all know this to be true. We make our little sacrifices all day, almost every day. It is now time to test your ability to make a sacrifice. Make the right sacrifice, and you advance. Make the wrong, and YOU become the sacrifice. And I assure you, there IS a wrong answer." The walls of the room decended, revealing an even bigger white room. In the room sat a number of chairs, all but one of which were filled. Each of the filled chairs were filled by one of Azel's friends. They were arranged in a circle. Maria was closest to Azel, Natalya to her sister's right, Rayne to Natalya's right, Lizzie to Rayne's, Trip to Lizzie's, Serras to Trip's, Safiria to Serras', Artix to Safiria's, Orta to Artix's, Vince to Orta's, Felix to Vince's, Robina to Felix's, Warlic to Robina's, Crystal Lion to Warlic's, and finally Wolfblitzer was squeezed between Crystal Lion and Maria. The middle chair was empty. Each of the 'victims' were bound tight with chains.

"When your decision on who should be sacrificed is made, unchain them, and move them to the center chair. If the answer is right, you advance. If not, you die. Let them tell you who they think should be sacrificed, then make your decision." The Gai'lin's voice vanished.

"Take Wolfblitzer!" Maria started. "He's useless! All he ever does is make comments! Completely useless in a fight!"

"What?! Oh, fuck that! Hey, Azel! Take Orta! She's a medic! I can dress my own wounds. Besides, Orta's a non-com." Woflbitzer rebuttled, throwing his head at Orta.

"Dress your own wounds? You'll give yourself HIV!" Orta shouted. "Listen, Azel. Take Rayne. I've never liked that sour attitude of hers, and quite frankly, it's rather lowering to the moral."

"Well, if you don't like my attitude, you can blow it out your ass!" Rayne hollered, trying to unchain herself. "If you have a brain, Azel, you'll listen to me! Take Trip! She's a clutz! Can't keep her balance for more then six seconds! That, and she's always been a bitch to everyone. Trust me, no one will miss her. I won't."

"Who's the bitch now, ya bitch! If anyone in this room is gonna die, I vote Felix!" Trip spoke cleanly. "Felix always fucks everything up! We'll be doing Battelon... fuck Battleon, we'll be doing LORE a favor getting rid of her furry ass!"

"Hey! I take offense to that! Listen! Vince! Yea, take the Drakel! You can never trust their slimy hides!" Felix shot back.

"Slimy!? Why you furry little harlot! If you take anyone, take the Vampire!"

"Bullshit!" Safiria barked at Vince. "Take Natalya!"

"Robina!" Natalya deflected the attention to Robina.

"Artix!" Robina replied.

"Warlic!" Artix shot out.

"Crystal Lion!" Warlic butted out.

"SHUT UP!" Azel bellowed, breaking the argument off. Everyone looked at her. "I already know who's gonna be sacrificed."

"Oh." Safiria smiled. "Good, then." Azel began walking around the circle, running her fingers across the backs of all the chairs. After she had completed a circle, she vaulted over Maria's chair, and did another circle, this time the other way. Finishing before the empty chair, she sat.

"To each his own." She muttered simply.

"You have chosen..." The Gai'lin spoke, pausing for effect. "Poorly." A dread silence fell over Azel. "The correct person to sacrifice is the one who has the least effect in the team. A team, after all, is only as strong as it's weakest link." Azel heard the sound of metal sliding against metal. Before she could react, the copy of Wolfblitzer had drawn his sword, and ran it right through the back of the chair, impaling Azel in the process. "Such a pity. I had high hopes for you, Dragonmancer." The Gai'lin's words faded as Azel's vision blurred, a side effect of blood loss. The Gai'lin laughed.

"The others are dust!" He announced. "None of Lore's Champions remain! Pity. I will take this world." Azel's last cognitive thoughts were to her family, and finally to the cold, hard embrace of the ground.

Author's Epitaph: Ehehe. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I said I'd put Azel in, Orta, I never promised to keep her _alive_. The Loop Hole King Strikes Again! Bwaha!


	11. My Sister's Keeper

Author's Note: Haha! Break from the norm! This chapter begins where Sanity's Edge left off, or at least, slightly thereafter.

My Sister's Keeper

Ten

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The sound of liquid falling to the floor was deafening, yet it was the only sound Natalya could hear. She kept one of her hands on her knee to stay her balance, the other hand tried to hold her intestines inside her body. The claws the Gai'lin possessed were sharper then Wolblitzer's tongue. They had made parchment out of her armor, and something even lighter out of her skin.

"Silly girl! Did you really think you could stand against me?" The Gai'lin laughed deeply and maniacally. "That effort you made. Pathetic. At best."

"Natalya?" Serras' voice echoed in the corridor. Serras was still with Wolfblitzer and Safiria guarding the door. They must have heard the commotion. The three of them rounded to corner. "NATALYA!!" Serras called, running towards the bleeding Natalya. Natalya heard Serras slide to a stop at her side and look at her. "Holy fuck... are you alright?" Natalya couldn't talk, she just coughed and spat blood.

"Oh my..." Safiria breathed. The Vampire couldn't do anything, save stare in wonder and aghast horror.

"N...Nat...? Can you hear me?" Natalya's vision began blurring, the lines between reality and fantasy dimming.

"Serras..." She managed out, pain lacing every syllable. Serras bent down to hear what she was saying. "I..." She started, coughing once more. "I love you..." She finished.

"I love you, too, Natalya..." She breathed, hardly believing what was happening. Serras pressed her other free hand onto the one Natalya was holding her stomach with. "Don't you die on me... Don't you die on me, Natalya!" A chuckle escaped Natalya's lips.

"It seems..." She started, hardly able to see. "That I don't have much of a choice in the matter..." Her last words. The red haired woman slumped over into a pool of her own blood, never to get up. A silence fell over everyone. Wolfblitzer was the first to react.

"You son of a bitch. You wear Maria's skin, but you're nothing more then a monster. A wolf in sheep's clothing." As he spoke, he advanced on the Gai'lin.

"You pathetic little worm! Don't make me kill you too!" The creature muttered. Wolfblitzer smiled, and opened his arms.

"Try me, you weak, inborn kitten." Was his response. The Gai'lin made one, aggrivated strike downwards. If not for Wolfblitzer's quick reactions, the blow would have sliced his head in half. He batted the strike away with a quick flick of his wrist. "Come on! Don't try to hit me, asshole! Do it!" Again, the Gai'lin tried to hit Wolfblitzer with a side slice, which was jumped. "Come on! I've fought medical technicians with more bite then you! Hit me!" He shouted again. This time, the Gai'lin put both his hands together and tried to crush Wolfblitzer. The Guardian dashed forward and slipped under the Gai'lin's arms as his hands crashed into the floor. After the Devourer re-collected himself, Wolfblitzer smiled, putting some distance between him and it. "What's that? Am I supposed to be impressed? I'm not. Not in the slightest sense. If you want to kill me, do it. Don't _try_ to kill me, do it!" Another failed attempt to destroy Wolfblitzer put him in the perfect shot. "Come! This is how you do it!" He shouted, jamming his knee into the Gai'lin's chest. While it was still stunned, Wolfblitzer pounced on his back and jumped three times, driving the creature farther into the ground.

"You mangy mutt!"

"Sticks and stones."

"I'll take pleasure in pulling the flesh from your bones!"

"And I'll enjoy watching you try." The two faced off at one another, staring at each other. Wolfblitzer's fists hung at his side, ready to fly at a moment's notice. The Gai'lin flinched his claws at his side, ready for anything. No one moved, for fear of setting the other off. The Guardian raised one hand and flashed the Gai'lin his middle finger, kissing the air tauntingly.

"You pathetic ingrate!" The Gai'lin shouted, dashing towards Woflblitzer. The Guardian just ducked under him and ran for the pile of books. He arrived and found what his was looking for. The Coridias de Marte Sel Lore. He grabbed it and tossed it to Serras before the Gai'lin could recover. Trying to divert his attention, Wolfblitzer ran up and scissor kicked him in the head, then backed off. "You are trying my patience!"

"Good. How thin can I melt the ice, before you drown in your own hatred?"

"Only so thin."

While this war of words was going on, Serras had ducked behind a bookshelf and began frantically flipping pages in the book looking for something. But she didn't understand any of the words, they were all written in Drolonex, an old, dead language no one spoke, let along read anymore. She did manage to find a few repetative words, Gai'lin was one, and she knew what that meant, the others were 'sarres' and 'fuukenjeeberesh'. If they kept popping up, they had to be important somehow... but how? She didn't have the time to translate it. She had to save everyone, even if Natalya was beyond saving...

"Wolfblitzer!" A voice called from the door. The figure of Safiria ran out with a hand outstreched.

"Safiria! No, stay back!" He recentered on the Gai'lin, but he was gone. When he looked around, he found it with it's arm around Safiria's neck.

"Ah, good. Someone I can kill. I love watching Vampires die. So..." He spun her around, grabbed her neck and kicked her through the nearest wall. The wall shattered into small fragments. The red-dressed figure of Safiria fell into the noon-day sun. Smiling, the Gai'lin held up a small, golden amulet. With a chuckle, Safiria's body exploded into a shower of flames and ash. "Flashy..." The Gai'lin shouted.

"You SON OF A BITCH!" Wolfblitzer shouted, taking his stance again. It wasn't long before...

"You think the book will help you, fool?" The Gail'lin's voice came. Serras looked up to see the Gai'lin standing over her, blood dripping from it's claws. Serras only stared at the claws and swallowed hard. "The book is useless now. Maria tried the book. Thought she could suppress me." It laughed. "A waste of time. And now, you shall suffer the same fate as so many before you..." Serras didn't even think about what came out of her mouth.

"_Cataclysm!_" She shouted, shutting her eyes. The ground around the Gai'lin came alive, spires of earth caging the creature. Stunned, the Gai'lin dropped Serras.

"What?!" The words came too late. As these words came from The Devourer's mouth, the spires came alive, literally pulverizing the Gai'lin into one another. After several seconds, it ended and the spires retracted. Battered, bruised, but not broken, the Devourer stood and attended the wounds on it's arms, shoulders and chest. "What was that?"

"I..." Serras choked out. "I don't know..." She looked about for something that could have done that. Again, the Devourer grabbed Serras.

"Well. You can only use spells that strong once. I know for a fact." More words poured from the former Mage's mouth.

"_Epoch! Armageddon! Edge of Extinction! Pyroclasm! Devastate! Evisceration! CATACLYSM!_" As each of the spells were chanted, their effect took root. First, vines wrapped around the Gai'lin's legs and held it in place. Then, as Armageddon was evoked, a small volcano formed under it's feet, and lava globs floated up around the Gai'lin, then exploded, causing lava burns. Then, the vines detached from it's feet and began lacerating the Devourer. They then grabbed hold of it's feet and four searing hot jets of flame shot up from the floor and rained magma around the room. The lava which was already surrounding the Gai'lin exploded, causing massive heat damage. The vines detached themselves once more and tore into the Gai'lin's chest. And finally, the spires appeared once more. Stunned, but happily surprised, Serras stood.

"Allow me to be the first to say ouch..."


	12. Toying With the Edge of Death

Author's Note: This chapter begins where "Lost in the Walls of the Mind" parts one and two end.

Toying With The Edge of Death

Eleven

Felix came out of the door like a bat out of hell. Around her, other doors were opening, releasing everything from Carnax-Infused monsters to DrakZombies. She gripped her wise-cracking sword and began attacking. The first thing to attack was a near by Drapy, a Dragon Harpy hybrid. The creature grabbed at her shoulders and tried to pull her apart. She twirled the sword around and sliced both it's claws off. The creature died from the shock. She then twirled the sword around and back-stabbed an advancing DrakZombie.

The carnage continued for some time before it finally ended. When it was all over, only Felix remained. A loud, cursed laugh boomed in the room.

"Congratulations, Cat Demon! You have proven yourself worthy. Not only have you bested your own memories..." The dead monsters began fizzling in place. "But you bested your friends and allies, as well." As this was spoken, each monster was replaced by it's true form, Rayne, Lizzie, Trip, Warlic, Artix, Orta, Azel, Vince, and Crystal Lion. Felix's mouth gaped open. "Advance, Hero of Lore, and be tested against me. My strength against yours!" She still had not recovered from the shock of what she had done when the door opened.

"Oh my god..." She muttered, touching Crystal Lion's neck. No pulse. She was, indeed, dead. "Oh my god..." She repeated again, standing and walking away towards the open door. Once she entered, she found herself once more in the library. The Gai'lin was across the room, hold Serras by her neck. The woman's body was limp and non responsive. Smiling at her handywork, the Gai'lin dropped her puppet.

"So you survive, huh? Very good, Cat Demon. How did you like my little trial?" Maria's once soft face was now horribly contorted by the Devourer's demonic appearance. Maria's eyes, once a beautiful red, were now pure green. They glowed in what little light was visible.

"Felix!" Was Serras' last dying breath. She slid a book across the gap between her and Felix.

"You sill girl! The book cannot help you!" The Gai'lin brought up her foot and sneered.

"The book is the key! I know it!" Before Serras said anymore, The Gai'lin's foot came down, breaking Serras' back, killing her. Picking up the heavy leather bound book, Felix read the title. ' C_oridias de Marte sel Lore_.', The End of Lore. She opened the leather cover and turned some pages. The language was Drolonex, a very old, very complicated language.

"The book is useless, Felix! No one understands Drolonex anymore! If they did, do you think I would have written it in such a hard language? My precautions are unparralelled."

"'_The Gai'lin, the Devourer is a creature of immense strength and prowess. A head on conflict with this beast surely would mean the end of any man who would attempt it. Only one may attack the Gai'lin, only the awesome power of the one true Hero may hope to harm this behemoth. Only the Hero can learn His secrets._" Felix muttered, reading the written words.

"W...WHAT?!" Maria's form asked, taking a step back. "You... You understand the words? N... NO! Impossible! It cannot be... yet... how?" The Gai'lin blurted out, trying to find an answer to a question.

"I spend my free time learning dead languages. Thought that skill might come in handy. Guess I was right. Now... what does it say about your weakness?"

"_**NO!**_" The Gai'lin shouted, covering the distance between them lightning fast. It attempted to snatch the book from Felix's hands. Felix, dodging everything, kept reading as if nothing were happening.

"_From the bodies of his companions, one man shall arise. The Hero Of Lore shall strike at the Devourer with the Creator's Wrath, and all shall be still. Day shall be forged from night, and from the heat and abyss of despair, Lore shall reign supreme against the Gai'lin's awesome power. For light always penetrates the deepest darkness, and prevails._" Felix continued dodging the Gai'lin's attacks. "You know, this is some good readings. Maybe I'll write a translated version of this once I'm done mopping the floor with you." She looked back at the pages. "_The Gai'lin's true weakness is his own. No one can say what makes the Devourer weak, and what makes him strong. But the only thing that may bring mortal harm to either the Devourer or his Avatar, is the divine blade, the blade none may possess. In old, it was called Heaven's Spear, but as it's luster failed, Heaven's Spear has degraded to a simple sword. Heaven's Spear last made a mark on history some five hundred years prior, when a young girl used the weapon to destroy an entire village of Gai'lin worshipers. Although, through the years, the weapon has been corrupted. Now called The Blade of Insight, this weapon, when restored to it's divine state, is the only mortal weapon capable of destroying the Gai'lin._" Felix closed the book. "Ah, I see now. Thank you, literature!" She sheathed her sword and rolled under Maria's spread legs. She saw Serras' sword lying uselessly against a bookshelf. She took it up and waved it around a bit.

"Can't you read, little girl? The blade is corrupt. You'd have to purify it first. How are you going to do that?" As much as Felix didn't want to admit it, she was right. Felix looked about, trying to find something to purify the sword with. Something came to her... like something was possessing her, she drove the blade into one of the statues around the room. The moment the blade pierced the marble, the statue began bleeding.

"NO!" The Gai'lin shouted. "_NO! Do you have ANY CLUE what you've done!?_" Was the continuation. Felix drew the sword out and wiped the blood from the blade. She opened the book again.

"_Complete corruption of Heaven's Spear my only be reversed by the Blood of the Devourer's Opposite; the Creator._" Felix smiled. "I recognize these statues. They're of the Elemental Lords. Of the Ten Gods. Minus yours, of course. Guess you're not loved. So this place... the Drakel Library is the Birthplace of Lore, is it?"

"No... you don't understand. This is not just any Kindre Library. These books are too _old_ to be of Kindre make. This isn't just _a_ library... it's _the_ library. The original Library." The Gai'lin spoke. Felix smiled once more.

"Cool. It began here, and it'll end here."

"You're really confident of your skills, aren't you?" Despite the look of surety the Gai'lin had, Felix could see right through it. "How do you even know that you purified the weapon? It could be equally useless now as it was when that useless little girl held it. How can you be so sure?" Felix made no audible response. She simply waved the blade around and vanished without a trace. The Gai'lin looked around. "Where... how... COME BACK HERE!" He shouted.

"I didn't go anywhere. I'm right here." Felix muttered from behind the Devourer. The Gai'lin spun around. Felix stood cross-armed with a smirk of glee on her face.

"Why you..." It started. A spike of pain interrupted the Gai'lin. It looked down to see the Blade of Insight driven up to the hilt into it's chest. "Well..." It coughed out, falling to it's knees. "I'll be damned..." It fell over to it's back, the sword springing free and rolling to the ground. Felix smiled, satisfied that Lore was safe forever. The body flinched and got to a knee.

"F...Felix?" Maria's voice spoke from her body. Felix looked at her. "Felix, is that you? My vision's not so great anymore..." She continued. Felix crouched at her side. "I always knew your were destined for greater things... You're not just a comic relief... You're just as skilled as anyone else... You'd have to be. You beat me. That takes some skill..." She coughed again and faltered. "Listen... I'm not gonna last much longer. I always said I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. There could be no better blaze of glory then being bested by a friend. Thanks for that, Felix. Have a good life..." With this, Maria fell over with a dull thud, her body bursting into a blossom of orange flames. Final Death. Felix stood, dispelled the tear from her eye and walked to the exit.


	13. Elegy

Author's Note: This is it. The second-to-last chapter of End of Lore. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Elegy

Fourteen

Felix stepped out into the bright sun. The same bright sun that was the end of Safiria, was the beginning of a new age, the dawning of a Devourer-Free Lore. Felix smiled. It was over. But at what cost? How many had parished b the Devourer's hand? Crystal Lion. Natalya, Maria, Wolfblitzer. Safiria. Orta. Azel. No... these died by her own hand. A 'trial' the Devourer had called it. A mockery is more like it. But they sacrifices were not in vein. The Devourer was gone. For good.

Felix opened the large door to the Drakle Super City and walked out, the grass cool under her bare feet, the wind a calm relief against her skin. She came to a old dusty road and began walking down the side. It wasn't long before a wagon rolled up.

"Hey. Need a ride?" The young girl on the cart asked. Felix recognized this girl as the girl who brought Aria all her exotic and rare animals. Felix smiled at her hospitality and nodded. He hopped into the back and sat down, clutching her knees to her chest to ward off the chill. She replayed everyone's death in her mind. Safiria's was by far, the worst. There wasn't even anything left of her. Not even a happy memory. Before long, Felix dozed off and fell asleep, tears running down her cheeks.

-Battleon.-

The cart had come to a stop. Felix, who had been lulled to sleep by the gentle rumbling of the wheels, finally awoke. She looked about. She had been dressed. A shirt three sizes too big for her and a skirt that had seen better days were on her. She looked at the driver.

"You were shivering. I didn't have a blanket, just those. Hope it was okay." She smiled, continuing to take boxes out of the back.

"Thanks again, Reens..." Aria began. She looked in the back and saw Felix. "Felix? Is that you?! What happened over there?" Panic suddenly filled her eyes. "Where's Trip?!" She jumped into the back and grabbed Felix, pulling her up. "Where's Trip?!!?" She asked more forcibly.

"Aria... I won't lie... The Gai'lin... Made me kill her..." Aria deflated like the Hindenburg. She stared Felix in the eyes with a cold, unfeeling, piercing glare. Deep in her heart, Aria wanted to reach over and strangle Felix. But something told her not to. The Felix didn't have a choice in the matter. "I'm sorry, Aria. I couldn't stop it."

"Please..." She muttered, standing and getting off the wagon. "Please, go away, Felix. Go away. I never want to see you're fucking face again... Get out of here!" She barked walking into her store, tears falling to the ground. Felix did as she was told.

"Felix!" A voice shouted to her as she walked away. She turned around to see Moon Called running towards her. "You're back safely! Excellent!" She smiled.

"Safely? No... not safely. I'll never be safe again. Not with Aria." She muttered, shaking her head ruefully. Moon Called didn't quite understand the meaning of this, but continued.

"Captain Krieger wishes to see you!" She ordered.

"Artix?! He's alive?!" Felix asked, wholly surprised. She had killed him... Or... did she?

"Yes. He arrived shortly before you did. He said he wanted to see you when you arrived." Something tugged a the back of Felix's mind. Something unseen. Banishing it away under speculation, she walked to the Guardian Tower.

The stairs leading to Artix' Office never seemed longer. She scaled them, taking them one at a time. Partially due to the fact she was dog tired, and partially due to the fact she still couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. When she arrived, six Guardians were lined up, three on either side, of the door. They all saluted as she advanced to the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by a smiling Artix. He bore a few wounds, but nothing serious.

"Felix Katdemon! Congratulations! Looks like I'm not up to par anymore. To be bested by you. But that's water under the bridge! You've saved us all! I'd like to show my apprieciation. Knight Guardians are few and far between. They're a rare sight as the requirements for promotion are... high. But you fill them perfectly! Kneel, Felix, and arise Felix Katdemon of the Knight Guardians!" grinning at her achievement, she knelt, she heard a sword unsheathe and felt the blunt end of the blade touch her shoulder. Then, she heard the sound of flesh ripping. She looked up to get five, very sharp claws through her neck. Her eyes snapped open wide.

"And you thought you saw the last of me... Hero of Lore!" The Gai'lin's voice came. It smiled as it twisted it's claws. "You don't get it, do you! You _can't_ kill me! I'm a god! Even if you could read the book, you should have realized it was a fake! A hoax. Damn... Lore's Heros are getting stupider and stupider as time progresses." The Gai'lin twisted it's claw in Felix's neck again. She felt her spine starting to break. "Pathetic!" He shouted, twisting one last time. She wasn't alive very much longer, but she was alive long enough to feel her head seperate from the rest of her body. "Pathetic..." Was the last word she heard.


	14. lEpiloguel For the Love of Vampires

Author's Note: BOOM! CAPTAIN PLOT-TWIST STRIKES AGAIN!

For The Love of Vampires

Epilogue

Maria awoke screaming. After the images faded from her mind, she scanned her room. Everything was in place. She wiped the sweat from her brow and got out of bed, cold piercing every pour of her frame.

She walked down the hall and across the bridge to the Main Tower. The night was cold and unfeeling against her skin. After walking through the main complex, she came to the male dormitories and walked through to one room. Unlocked as usual, she came into Wolfblitzer's room. He was lying in bed, sleeping rather peacably. She crouched down next to him.

"Wolfblitzer?" She asked, nudging him.

"Humn..." He mumbled, rolling over.

"Wolfblitzer!" She repeated.

"HUH!?" He called, waking up suddenly. "Huhwhowhawherewhenwhy? Oh... hey Maria. What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes slowly adjusting to the low light.

"I had the dream again..." She muttered, wrapping her robe tighter.

"The one with the Devourer?" Maria nodded. "Oh, come here..." He smiled, seeing a slight tear fall down her cheek. He took her by the elbow and led her down. She sat down on his bed. He wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Only... tonight... I heard things... screaming... names... I saw people die... bloody, horrible deaths."

"Shh..." Wolfblitzer cooed, rocking back and forth with Maria in his arms. "It's over now. I'm here. I'm here... The horrors are gone." He rubbed her shoulders and kissed her neck. "Everything's going to be just fine now, Maria..." He hugged her tighter. She smiled, placing a hand on his.

"Just... one thing bothers me, Wolfy..." She spoke. He acknowledged her. "Do you know anyone named Rayne? Or Lizzie? Or Felix?" Wolfblitzer thought about this for some time.

"No. Can't say I do. Why? You cheating on me with another chick?" He smiled.

"No... Come one, Wolfblitzer. What do you take me for? A dyke?" She asked playfully, kissing him.

"Well... no... but if you ever do, I reserve the right to be a complete pervert, alright?" She smiled and nodded.

"Well bargained and done." There came a pause. "Can I get in with you, I'm cold." Wolfblitzer nodded and moved over, letting her into bed.

"Not sure Captain Kreiger would approve, but what Artix doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, don't you have patrol in the morning? Darkovia thing again?" Maria nodded. Just before she dozed off to sleep, Maria caught a glimpse of her soft tan skin in the mirror. She smiled.

_It's good to be alive._


End file.
